Light up is a partnership with the Australian Open Tennis Grand Slam is in its 25th year and the event’s 130-strong vehicle fleet features more electric vehicles (EVs) than ever before.
As with last year’s tournament, the Kia tournament vehicle fleet is fully electrified – with 55 electric vehicles and 75 hybrid vehicles driving players and officials around Melbourne during the major sporting event.
These 55 fully electric vehicles include the EV5 and EV9 SUVs, while the 75 hybrids are split between the Carnival MPV and Sportage SUV.
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It is the first time that electric vehicles make up more than 40 percent of the total vehicles deployed, reducing the fleet’s environmental impact during the three-week tournament.
Kia held its annual fleet handover ceremony on January 14 at Melbourne Park, home of the Australian Open. The brand’s local CEO, Damien Meredith, was accompanied by AO tournament director Craig Tiley. former men’s world number one and 2004 Australian Open champion Marat Safin; and former Australian men’s doubles world number one and Grand Slam champion Todd Woodbridge.
“2026 is an important year for the brand locally and globally. As we expand our electric vehicle portfolio, we are proud to offer a wide range of electric vehicles that will drive mobility in Melbourne throughout the tournament,” Mr Meredith said.
“Our fleet of fully electrified vehicles strengthens our position as a provider of sustainable mobility and signals our commitment to pushing boundaries. Our models set new standards for mobility at the tournament.”
In addition to the AO player fleet, Kia said it has also “delivered additional emergency vehicles to support the growing scale of the Grand Slam event.”
The Australian Open 2026 will take place from January 18th to February 1st.
Kia will also have a stand at the AO’s Grand Slam Oval, where the local debut of the facelifted EV6 GT and PV5 will be on display. Both new electric vehicles will hit the Australian market later this year.
The PV5 is Kia’s first electric van and the first van the brand has offered here since the diesel-powered Pregio was phased out 20 years ago.
It will join a growing range of electric vehicles in Kia’s local lineup, which includes the EV3, EV5, EV6 and EV9 SUVs.
This year also sees the launch of the EV4, Kia’s first electric car in Australia.
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