Kia is going big-time with electric vehicles and plans to generate more customer interest by releasing eight purely electric vehicles in the US by 2029. The Korean company is also working toward half of its vehicle sales coming from EVs about a decade from now, as reported by Automotive News.
Many traditional automakers have announced their plans to electrify their line-ups, and it is now Kia’s turn to show its commitment to zero-emission mobility. The company will release one EV every year until the end of the decade. Kia has started already, with the release of the compact EV6 last year. Also included are the refreshed Niro EV and the EV9 coming next year with a third row of seats.
Kia plans to increase its share of electric cars in its sales to 30 percent by 2030 and step it up to 50 percent soon after. According to Eric Watson, the VP of sales and operations for Kia Motors America, “Thirty percent of our sales will come from electric vehicles by the end of the decade, and we’ll get to 50 percent in the early 2030s.”
Watson also revealed Kia would enter the bigger vehicle segments, a fast-growing market in the US, where drivers snapped up 1.5 million midsize crossovers or about 10 percent of total vehicle sales.
Kia will release 14 purely electric vehicles globally by 2027, an update over its previous plans for 11 EVs by 2026.
Watson mentioned the EV6 has been successful and exceeded expectations. It has 10,000 units in just four months. Last month, the car was responsible for 6 percent of Kia’s total sales.
The VP projects that the upcoming EV9 will draw in more buyers for Kia as it is the perfect car for people that need more space, thanks to the skateboard architecture. He expects it to be a hit with buyers looking to use it for “hauling kids, going into Costco and loading up all your groceries on a big weekend trip or towing the boat.”
