At last year’s CES, Kia introduced a new modular van concept to the world – something quite unlike today’s Carnival. It dubbed these new vans as its PBVs, or “Platform Beyond Vehicles.” The idea was that Kia could get all sorts of form factors and different specifications for commercial and personal vans out of one foundational setup.
We’ve been promised everything from Kia-branded mobile stores to personal campers, and now we’ve got new concepts of how that might look with smart LG Electronics in a new conceptual partnership.
Kia
Kia is a South Korean automaker headquartered in Seoul. It was originally founded in 1944 as a bicycle manufacturer which later built small motorcycles, and Mazda-licensed trucks and cars. After building an assembly plant in th early 70s, the company also produced the Bisa range of cars until 1981 before coming to a half due to the political situation at the time. Production kicked off again in 1986 in partnership with Ford, and in 1992 the company started sellling cars in North America. Today it is the second-largest automaker in South Korea, right behind Hyundai.
- Founded
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June 9, 1944 (as Kyungsung Precision Industry)
- Founder
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Kim Cheol-ho
- Headquarters
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Seoul, South Korea
- Owned By
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Hyundai Motor Group
- Current CEO
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Ho Sung Song
Kia’s Van Gets More Impressive With LG
Just last month, Kia announced thePV5 commercial vanbased on the PBV setup. It’s all-electric on a skateboard chassis and should be available in various internal and external configurations with around 270 miles of range. At that reveal, Kia was also talking about two potential camper models for private owners, a lite version and a more serious approach, though we have yet to see those materialize.
Before the new tariffs were implemented, we were promised to see production campers of the PV5 within the next two years, though plans for that now may be more up in the air.
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Unlike the Volkswagen van, this shows no signs of looking at the past.
Today, these new concepts are based on the same PV5 PBV, but Kia has partnered with LG Electronics to equip them for specified uses, as initially modeled by the PBV concept.
The goal was to develop mobile work and recreational spaces that incorporate LG’s advanced home appliances into the Kia platform. Two so-called PV5 Spielraum concept models were shown this week during the pre-opening days of the 2025 Seoul Mobility Show.
Coffee Machines, Laundry, Picnics, Baking – And Mood Lighting
The Spielraum Studio concept van is meant for an on-the-go person who needs a workspace and storage. It features LG’s Styler clothes steamer, LG smart mirrors that can display information through the reflective surface, and integrated coffee machines. An artificial intelligence system monitors accessory usage along with battery consumption to track the remaining charge and make sure the appliances don’t drain too much of the battery.
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Kia Proving Everyone Wrong About The Death Of The Sedan
Its minivan is even doing well.
The Spielraum Glow concept is specifically designed for car picnicking. It features refrigerators, wine coolers, and lightwave ovens, and each appliance comes with a mood light that can be adjusted.
Beyond the concept vehicles, the companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for future collaboration on co-developed projects and products. Kia swears these concepts could come to market by the second half of 2026.
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