A few days ago, GM Defense, a subsidiary of General Motors, made its first delivery to the U.S. Army of the new Infantry Squad Vehicle, an all-terrain transport that can carry 9 soldiers and their equipment.
But GM isn’t the only automaker making news with its military vehicles. A day or so later, Kia unveiled the design for its 2.5- and 5-ton military vehicles, an open-top all-terrain vehicle based on the Mohave sport utility chassis. It said it plans to deliver field-test results to the Korean government in 2021, with military deployment in 2024.
Kia also said it will apply electric powertrain, autonomous driving and hydrogen fuel-cell technologies to its military vehicle development.
As for the new 2.5- and 5-ton vehicles, they will be powered by a 7.0-liter diesel engine, will have automatic transmissions, anti-lock brakes, vehicle stability control, rear parking assist, around-view monitors, satellite navigation and heated seats. A bullet-proof 5-ton vehicle also is being planned.
Kia said it also plans versions of the all-terrain vehicle for commercial and recreational sectors.
Kia previously has produced 140,000 military vehicles in nine models.
This article, written by Larry Edsall, was originally published on ClassicCars.com, an editorial partner of Motor Authority.