Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's second-largest carmaker, plans to build 2,000 electric vehicles by the end of 2012 as part of the 2,500 units announced by its affiliate Hyundai Motor Co. last week.
Hyundai plans to produce 500 units of the BlueOn, its first electric car, by the end of 2012, and sell them to government agencies, Hong John Hee, director at Hyundai Motor Group's research and development division said. Hyundai Motor said in a Sept. 9 statement it would make 2,500 BlueOn cars by the end of 2012.
The companies join rivals, including Nissan Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp., that plan to introduce vehicles powered only by batteries.
Hyundai Motor Group, which includes Hyundai and Kia, aims to begin retail sales of electric cars from 2013, the group hasn't decided whether the Kia or Hyundai model will be sold to the public first, the company said.
Hyundai's BlueOn can travel as much as 140 kilometres on a single charge with a maximum speed of 130 kilometres per hour, according to the company's statement.
