Kia PV5 to crisscross rural villages without supermarkets, delivering to 65 villages in Sunchang

[Financial News] Kia is using its electric purpose-built vehicle (PBV), the PV5, to improve basic infrastructure in areas at risk of depopulation. The initiative aims to ease the difficulty older residents face in shopping by delivering groceries and daily necessities directly to rural villages with few large supermarkets or convenience stores. With the program expanding from Uiseong in Gyeongsangbuk-do to Sunchang in Jeonbuk, Kia is also accelerating its social contribution activities using the PV5.
Kia said on the 8th that it had held an event marking the expansion of ‘Move to You’ at Dasi Cheongchun Hall in Ingye-myeon, Sunchang County, Jeonbuk, on the 6th, with officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Jeonbuk Province and Sunchang County in attendance.
Move to You is a program that deploys PV5 Cargo vehicles to deliver food and daily necessities to areas where grocery stores and other shops have become scarce due to population decline. It helps residents buy the items they need at reasonable prices at community halls or senior centers near their homes.
Kia launched the program following an MOU on a ‘Win-Win Cooperation Agreement for Responding to Local Extinction’ signed with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in March this year. After beginning its first operation in Uiseong County, Gyeongsangbuk-do, last July, Kia has now selected Sunchang County as its second service area.
A considerable number of towns and townships in Sunchang County have no supermarkets or convenience stores, and residents aged 65 or older account for nearly half of the county’s population. Kia plans to deploy two PV5 Cargo vehicles to serve 65 villages across seven townships where access to food and daily necessities is limited.
The PV5 Cargo’s low-floor design and spacious cargo area make it well suited for deliveries in rural areas. Drawing on its operating experience in Uiseong County, Kia plans to tailor its service to local conditions and residents’ needs in Sunchang County.
The program will also strengthen community care beyond simply delivering goods. By linking up with comprehensive care programs for older adults and other services, it aims to increase social interaction among residents and help revitalize local communities.
Lee Duk-hyun, executive director and head of Kia’s Sustainability Management Office, said, “By expanding Move to You to more regions, we can now help more older adults in more areas,” adding, “We will continue to fulfill our social responsibility by contributing to better living conditions for residents of areas experiencing population decline and helping address the issue of local extinction.”

[email protected] Kim Dong-ho Reporter