Kia targeting 500,000 EV sales by 2025

Kia Motors says it is targeting global annual sales of 500,000 EVs by 2026, and is aiming for more than 20 per cent of its European sales to be fully-electric by this time.

It plans to offer 11 EVs in 2025 globally, across a range of vehicle segments – including passenger vehicles, SUVs and MPVs.

The company has outlined further details of its electrification shift, following record sales of the brand’s electric vehicles (EVs) in Europe in the first quarter of 2020.

At the start of 2020, Kia Motors announced ‘Plan S’, a new strategy aimed at progressively establishing a leadership position in the future automotive industry, encompassing electrification and mobility services, as well as connectivity and autonomy.

The EV focus is already achieving unprecedented results in Europe. In the first quarter of 2020, sales of new EVs grew by 75% compared with the first quarter of 2019, to 6,811 units.

This meant that zero emission vehicles from Kia accounted for 6% of the company’s total European sales during the first quarter of 2020, up from 2.9% in the first quarter of 2019.

The first of Kia’s next-generation EVs will be introduced to Europe in 2021, constructed on a unique platform specifically engineered to accommodate the car’s EV powertrain and technologies.

Not only will it offer a crossover design which blurs the boundaries between passenger and sport utility vehicles, it will also offer a single-charge driving range of more than 500 km, as well as sub-20-minute high-speed charging time.

“We are encouraged by the early sales success of the new e-Niro and Soul EV, which have been well-received by buyers across the continent. In every one of the last five years, we have reported growing sales of Kia EVs, and our next-generation models will accelerate this trend further,” says Kia Motors Europe chief operating officer Emilio Herrera.

Kia Motors Europe will launch many of the brand’s future global EVs following the introduction of the brand’s maiden dedicated zero-emissions model in 2021.

It will offer many of its new vehicles with charging capabilities tailored to the needs and budgets of customers across a range of vehicle segments. Kia’s EVs will offer either 400V or 800V charging capacity, enabling fast or rapid charging depending on the different types of buyer for individual model lines.

“We want to provide European customers with the best possible value for their money,” Kia Motors Europe product planning and pricing director Pablo Martinez Masip says.

“This means that certain models, particularly those aimed at more cost-conscious buyers, will offer 400V charging capability. 800V charging won’t be reserved for Kia’s flagship models, however, but where it most closely matches the usage profile of a particular model line.

“Both systems can be charged at home or in public. The 800V rapid charging enhancing usability in models driven by customers who may rely on high-voltage rapid charging more often or drive higher mileages.

“The 400V charging, as already found in the e-Niro and Soul EV, also enables rapid charging and will remain relevant for many customers who have greater flexibility about where and when they recharge,” he says.