Kia Motors India, the world’s 8th largest automaker, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state of Andhra Pradesh to collaborate on the ‘Partnership for Future Eco Mobility’, The partnership reinforces Kia’s commitment to support the Andhra Pradesh government in growing the uptake of electric vehicles (EV) and the development of a local EV infrastructure.
The memorandum was signed in the presence of the Honorable Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu and Kookhyun Shim, Managing Director and CEO of Kia Motors India. As part of the agreement, Kia Motors has provided the government with three examples of its global bestselling eco car – a Niro Hybrid, Niro Plug-in Hybrid and a Niro EV. Kia is also installing a vehicle charging station at Vijayawada, for representatives from the regional government to charge their new environmentally-friendly fleet.
The partnership signifies Kia’s long-term commitment to build eco-friendly vehicles at its new Anantapur plant in Andhra Pradesh, an important step for the future of clean mobility in the rapidly expanding Indian market.
The Andhra Pradesh government is developing 14 ‘smart cities’, enhancing the lives of residents and enabling businesses to optimize their resources. As part of Kia’s commitment to the market, the Korean brand is working with the regional government to design a new generation of transportation systems that best serve the citizens in each of these cities. This is part of a wider plan by Kia to offer alternative mobility within the Indian market.