IAA Transportation
Europe’s biggest commercial vehicle show held few surprises but saw the launch of Kia’s PV7 as well as details from some of the Chinese companies hoping to enter the UK market. By John Kendall.
This year’s IAA Transportation show in Hanover was a particularly busy one for light CVs, mainly because of the presence of several Chinese manufacturers that are planning launches in Europe and the UK either later this year or in 2027. It wasn’t only Chinese manufacturers who had new models and concepts to display. Stellantis showed its Box-On-Wheels concept for future autonomous deliveries, developed in collaboration with UQI Robotics, a joint venture between Chinese companies Ubtech and Miracle Automation. If you haven’t seen one, it was comparatively small, not a competitor in any existing van segment, but this is a sector that is likely to grow in the future.
Kia
IAA was also the launchpad for Kia’s latest addition to its PBV light CV range. As previously announced, the PV7, which will compete against other electric vans in the medium van segment, is due to be launched in 2027. It will be available as a passenger model with up to nine seats as well as a panel van and chassis cab. We asked Sangdae Kim, head of the PBV Division worldwide, how he expected demand for the different variants to break down. “That’s really a big challenge,” he told VFW. “We’re here to calculate the different domains and demand, domain by domain, product by product. So, because of that, we have conducted a lot of market research. We have been to many partners’ working sites and visited our partners’ offices to listen to their recommendations, their voices, and we even visited our customers at home.”
Kia CEO Ho Sung Song presided over the company’s major press conference and we asked him why Kia believes it can succeed against manufacturers with decades of LCV experience.
“Fortunately, we have a lot of knowledge and technology of electric vehicles. So based on our knowledge and technology, we could make good vehicles, based on the EV cars. The second thing is that having studied the light commercial vehicle market, there were a lot of pain point complaints by customers. The first is the cost problem, the second is the environmental impact.
“So, I thought that our PBV should be different, in a logical way, to solve the two issues, For this, I needed flexibility in our factory. So if I used an existing factory, I could not do that. So we made a very big decision to build a new factory to provide the flexibility for that. We are now very flexible, enabling us to provide a different kind of diversity. And we are now building a second plant for PV7, also in the same mould, and I think that it’s our strong point.
“It is our differentiation point from other competitors. I know that other competitors have been in this market a long time. So I believe this is not an easy one. And of course, it’s important to have a good ecosystem [of dealers and aftersales support]. We are also preparing the ecosystem for this product because our end users should not be inconvenienced when operating our vehicles. So we are focusing on the production of the vehicles and also the ecosystem. And we will learn some lessons from today’s PV5. This is why we started PV5 earlier than PV7, because we needed some preparation before launching the PV7. So we learned some lessons and until the middle of next year we will continue to prepare ourselves for the ecosystem, so that our customers are not inconvenienced using our products.”
Kia PV7 Passenger
Kia PV7 Passenger interior
Kia PV7 Cargo
“We started PV5 earlier than PV7, because we needed some preparation before launching the PV7.”
Ho Sung Song CEO, Kia
Renault
Not all new electric vans heading for the UK are coming from halfway around the world. Renault displayed its new Trafic E-Tech electric model at IAA, having also shown it at the CV Show earlier this year. VFW spoke to Jan Ptacek, head of Renault’s Light Commercial Vehicle Business Unit, and asked when we could expect to see the new model in the UK.
“Production and orders will begin before the end of the year,” he said. “We will deliver to the first customers at the beginning of 2027. For the UK, it will come a little bit later, with orders opening in the first quarter and the launch of the vehicle in mid-2027. The chassis cab will come a little bit later.”
Ptacek acknowledged that the pace of electrification has been a bit slower than originally expected, but also noted that growth in EV LCV sales in the first half of the year across Europe has been 25%. “I would say we are quite confident that this growth will continue,” he said. “Also I think that Trafic E-Tech electric is a product that could really cancel some roadblocks that we have and we see in customers’ minds, once we change from ICE to electric.
“This is important because the specs of this van are so different from others’ offers that we think that the customers who hesitated to go to electric, now have good arguments to do so. That’s why we are saying it’s a gamechanger in the market because with 800V architecture, fast charging and the energy efficiency that we have for the model and at the same time all the commercial vehicle characteristics that are respecting the fundamentals of commercial vehicles such as towing, volume and payload and so on. Finally, there is no more compromise when it comes to an electric commercial vehicle customer. That’s why we think we are bringing to the market a vehicle that will really convince those who have hesitated when switching from ICE to electric.”
Delivan/Chery Commercial Vehicle
At the CV Show earlier this year, we were given a glimpse of Chery Commercial Vehicle’s ambitions with the launch of its Delivan brand. The company had a sizeable stand at IAA where it displayed a number of models from the new badge. VFW asked what the company is planning to introduce to the UK market. The answer mirrored what was on the stand: it will be an L1H1 panel van, as well as an L2H3 and an L3 chassis cab. The plan is to launch around April next year, which suggests there will be plenty to see at the CV Show.
When asked whether the company will target fleets or retail customers, Chery Commercial Vehicle UK COO Ross Davies said: “You could say we are targeting customers that have a need for an electric vehicle. If some markets are demanding more retail and some markets are demanding more fleet, then we would move according to our customer base. For us, it’s about positioning our product and our services in areas and fleets wherever our customers come from, whether it’s one customer buying one van, or one fleet buying 1,000 vans. For us, it’s the same.”
“It’s about positioning our product and our services in areas and fleets wherever our customers come from, whether it’s one customer buying one van, or one fleet buying 1,000 vans.”
BYD
Similarly, BYD had a large presence at IAA. While many people may think of the company as one of the new kids on the block in the UK, it already has an established presence in the bus market and has been making electric vehicles for longer than many.
BYD is planning to launch its E-Vali van range in the UK. As with Farizon’s range, it will be equipped with a drive-by-wire system where computers and sensors will be responsible for steering and braking in place of conventional mechanical links. This will make conversion from left-hand-drive quite straightforward. The van will offer a low loading height. The plan is to offer it in two lengths, giving load volumes of 13.5m3 and 17.5m3, which would make it one of the largest vans on the market. Range is expected to be around 185 miles. BYD has not yet set a launch date. VFW was told that the company is currently in a pilot phase with large customers.
Farizon/Geely Commercial Vehicles
Farizon is one step ahead of many Chinese rivals in that it is already here in the UK, having launched the Farizon brand over a year ago. VFW spoke to Stefan Lundin, chief communications officer, Geely Holding in Europe. We asked if Farizon was planning to launch other models in addition to the SV and V7E. “As you can see over there, there are already others in service in China,” he said. “There’s a Chinese expression to cross the river by feeling with your feet on the stones. So, we will take a step-by-step approach, to ensure that the vans get on the road.
“If it’s successful, there are existing vehicles that can be launched. So the short answer is, yes. There are no current plans, but if it’s successful, you will see things turn round quickly.
“One thing that Geely and all its operations have on its side is the fact that we have had a footprint, historically, in Europe, for almost 20 years now, that none of the other Chinese brands have. So I think this puts us ahead of the game a little bit because we understand how the dealer networks operate here and all that kind of thing, and you know what you need to do to make them successful.”
