Concerned about Job Security
The labor union of KIA Corp. is protesting against the company’s plan to allow customers to reserve its first electric vehicle EV6 online.
Kia plans to take the wraps off its EV6 to the public at the Digital World Premier on March 30, and begin to take reservations online.
Kia's salespeople union is concerned that this reservation method could lead to online sales, threatening their job security.
"EV6 online reservations will undermine the job security of sales workers," said the Sales Part of the Kia Branch of the Korean Metal Workers' Union in a newsletter on March 22.
In response, the management says that reservations are simply about registering the names and contacts of customers willing to buy, and the company has no plan to sell the model through online channels.
However, industry watchers say the COVID-19 pandemic is driving automakers towards online sales. Imported car companies such as Benz and Volvo are actively selling cars online, with Korea-based carmakers such as GM Korea and Renault Samsung Motors following suit.