Hyundai Motors will also enter the Purpose-Based Vehicle (PBV) field this year. Starria (formerly Starex), Korea's representative commercial van, has been transformed into a top-of-the-line vehicle and is expected to be released this year.

According to the industry on the 27th, Hyundai Motor Company recently began certification work for its development name 'ST1'. It has a box-shaped cargo compartment at the rear of the Staria. Since last year, many spy shots (photos taken secretly of products that have not been officially released) have been released, leading to predictions that the mass production schedule is imminent.

Production will be handled by Hyundai Motor Company's Ulsan plant, where the hydrogen car Nexo is made. Typically, Hyundai Motor Company begins preparing for mass production of a new car within 3 to 4 months after starting the certification process. It seems likely that sales will begin around July or August.

Diesel or LPG are excluded. It is an electric vehicle equipped with the EM16 electric motor installed in Hyundai Motor Company's Kona Electric and Kia Niro Plus. The em16 motor can produce an output of 130~160kW depending on the setting. The maximum output of the Kona Electric and Niro Plus was 150 kW (about 201 horsepower), but considering that the output of the internal combustion engine Staria is 177 to 272 horsepower, there is a possibility that upward adjustment (tuning) will take place.

There were also predictions that the Staria PBV would replace the 1-ton truck Porter, but the two vehicles are expected to coexist for the time being. As the new Porter, which excludes a diesel engine, was released at the end of last year, the industry consensus is that it is unlikely that the Porter will be discontinued in the short term to recover investment costs.

A purpose-based vehicle (PBV) refers to a vehicle that is ‘customized’ from concept to development and design according to a special purpose. The ultimate PBV supports flexible product configurations in line with customer requests in the field of commercial vehicles such as cargo transportation and passenger vehicles, but the initial market was opened by manufacturers introducing cars suitable for taxis and rental cars, such as the Kia Niro Plus.

An official in the domestic automobile industry said, "With Kia pointing out PBV as its future business and establishing a full-scale mass production system starting this year, Hyundai Motor Company, 'two families under one roof,' has also announced its entry into the same field." He added, "Porter and Porter in the small truck market. “Attention will be paid to how effectively the new car will be able to penetrate the Bongo second-tier system.”