Kia, Kakao Mobility team up to develop autonomous driving PBV

Kia will develop a purpose-built vehicle (PBV) optimized for autonomous driving services in partnership with Kakao Mobility.

Kia announced Thursday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Kakao Mobility on developing a PBV dedicated to autonomous driving services. The signing ceremony was held at Kia's headquarters in Yangjae and attended by key officials including Kim Sang-dae, Kia's executive vice president and head of PBV business; Yoo Ji-han, executive vice president in charge of SDV platform; Kim Jin-gyu, Kakao Mobility's executive vice president and head of physical AI; and Ahn Gyu-jin, executive vice president overseeing business operations.

The MOU aims to combine Kia's PBV development capabilities with Kakao Mobility's autonomous driving technology to expand the PBV-based autonomous driving ecosystem. The two companies plan to collaborate on developing and supplying a PBV dedicated to autonomous driving services, as well as jointly developing and demonstrating service operation technology.

As a first step, Kia will supply Kakao Mobility with PV5 vehicles equipped with a devkit this year to support the latter's autonomous driving pilot program. The devkit supports interface integration between external vehicle-control software and the vehicle, helping autonomous driving and remote driving service providers control vehicles more safely.

Based on the pilot program's results and business plans, Kia intends to gradually supply additional mass-production PBV models. The two companies also plan to jointly develop an autonomous driving PBV optimized for commercial service, drawing on vehicle operation data accumulated through the pilot program.

In addition, the two companies will jointly develop and verify a range of operational technologies to enhance the stability and efficiency of autonomous driving services, including remote vehicle assistance, wireless charging, and in-vehicle and exterior displays for unmanned communication.

"We hope that through our collaboration with Kakao Mobility, Kia's PBV can contribute to revitalizing the autonomous driving market and creating new customer value," Kim Sang-dae said. "We will continue to work with various partners to lead the future mobility market as a provider of customized mobility solutions."

Meanwhile, Kia has been actively expanding its PBV lineup to broaden consumer choice. At the 2026 Busan Mobility Show held recently at Bexco in Busan, the automaker unveiled three new PV5-based models: the PV5 Passenger 7-seat (2-2-3), the PV5 Prime and the PV5 Cargo High Roof.