Kia cuts EV target, confirms electric pickup, and plans to put Atlas robots in its Georgia factories

At its 2026 CEO Investor Day, Kia revealed a revised five-year strategy shaped by US tariffs and shifting EV demand. The company lowered its 2030 EV sales target to 1 million units (down ~20% from last year), expanded its hybrid lineup to 13 models targeting 1.1 million annual HEV sales, and confirmed a mid-size electric pickup truck aimed at North America. Kia also announced plans to deploy Boston Dynamics' Atlas humanoid robots in its Georgia factories starting 2028 for sequencing tasks, scaling to assembly by 2030. The company's KRW 49 trillion investment plan through 2030 covers robotics, software-defined vehicles, and autonomous driving, with a revenue target of KRW 170 trillion and a 10% operating margin.