Kia will invest approximately KRW 49 trillion over the next five years to accelerate its transformation into a “mobility solutions company.” Through collaboration with global partners such as Nvidia and Google DeepMind, the company aims to achieve “Level 2++” autonomous driving technology that enables self-driving in urban environments by 2029. “Atlas,” the humanoid robot that is central to Hyundai Motor Group’s robotics business, will also be deployed at Kia’s plant in the United States in the second half of 2029 (July–December).

Kia held the “2026 CEO Investor Day” at the Shilla Hotel in Jung District, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 9th and unveiled its mid- to long-term business strategy and financial roadmap. The event, targeting shareholders and analysts, also marked the first official public appearance of Park Min-woo, CEO of 42dot and Head of the AVP Division (President) at Hyundai Motor and Kia. Functioning effectively as a venue to announce Hyundai Motor Group’s overarching strategy, it also featured a presentation by Zak Jacowski, Chief Technology Officer of Boston Dynamics, who led the development of Atlas.

Kia first presented its “investment blueprint” to secure future competitiveness. Of the KRW 49 trillion in investment to be made over the five years from this year through 2030, the company plans to allocate KRW 21 trillion to future growth businesses, including autonomous driving and robotics. The sales target for 2030 is a total of 4.13 million units, including 1 million electric vehicles and 1.1 million hybrid vehicles. Revenue and operating profit targets for 2030 are KRW 170 trillion and KRW 17 trillion, respectively.

The most notable item at the event was Kia’s concrete plan for the commercialization of autonomous driving. The company intends to complete development by the end of next year of a software-defined vehicle (SDV) based on “Level 2+” technology, which allows autonomous driving on highways under the supervision of a driver on board. Subsequently, in early 2029, it plans to apply “Level 2++” technology to mass-produced vehicles, enabling autonomous driving not only on highways but also in general urban environments.

The “autonomous driving alliance” formed at the group level with Nvidia was also reiterated. Through this partnership, the company intends to accelerate the standardization of autonomous driving sensors and systems. The approach is to build a “virtuous data cycle” in which the accumulation of real-world driving data from global annual sales of several million vehicles is repeatedly fed into learning, performance improvement, and product application processes.

The timeline for deploying Atlas, the core of Hyundai Motor Group’s robotics business, to production sites was also further clarified. Following its introduction at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in 2028, Atlas will be deployed at Kia’s Georgia plant in the United States (KaGA) in the second half of 2029.

The company also aims to innovate the last-mile logistics market through robots. It plans to build a logistics “full-stack solution” by combining Boston Dynamics’ unloading robot Stretch and four-legged walking robot Spot with Kia’s purpose-built vehicles (PBV) PV7 and PV9. Under this concept, Stretch integrated into PV7 and PV9 will load and unload cargo, while Spot will handle final delivery.

Kia President Song Ho-sung stated, “We will grow at the fastest pace alongside electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, autonomous driving, and robotics,” adding, “Even in an environment where internal and external uncertainties are increasing, we will respond preemptively to market changes with a differentiated strategy.”

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