The 2025 year is going to become a major year in terms of the auto vehicle market. Yes, you read it right, we are discussing the upcoming electric car from Kia. Myung-Sik Sohn, Chief Sales and Business Officer, Kia India said, “The new mass market Kia EV will be somewhere in the price range of the Tata Nexon EV though it will be more premium in terms of design and features.”
As Kia is considered a premium brand when compared to its competition, Sohn further explained that the company is confident that the affordable pricing of the new mass-market EV will push the sales volume further. “We are looking at around 10,000 units of the new EV in a year,” he added. There are above 20 electric vehicles that are expected to arrive in 2024-2025.
We will see some affordable electric vehicles in India. In terms of the top manufacturers, the Maruti Suzuki, TATA, Mahindra and Toyota companies are ready to bring a new EV car in 2025. Recently, at the global unveiling of the 2024 Sonet, Kia revealed that it will launch a brand new made-in-India electric vehicle in 2025 for the mass market segment.
Kia EV Market Share/Sale
In terms of EV market share, in 2022, the Kia EV6 was the number one premium EV in the Rs 50 lakh plus category. Hardeep Singh Brar, Head of Sales & Marketing, Kia India said, “Last year, we had a 37 per cent share in this segment, but with the competition rising in this year (2023), our share has gone down to 20 per cent.”
“Kia will continue to sell the EV6 and will launch the company’s flagship electric vehicle, EV9, in 2024 in India,” said Brar. He added, “By launching the mass market EV in 2025, Kia India is looking at a market share of 10 per cent by 2026.”
Kia futuristic plan
In a recent interview, a member of Kia company stated that the company is looking to increase its plant’s capacity from 3 lakh units to more than 4 lakh units. The process started last year when the company increased its manufacturing shift schedule from two to three. Kia is expected to bring a new change in the electric car charging ecosystem.
“Currently, 16 dealers are already equipped with 150kW fast chargers and one even has a 240kW ultra-fast charger. Next year, we will add 90kW chargers,” said Sohn. Sohn said that they working closely with their local partners to achieve this. He also mentioned that the new EV is a made-in-India product which is specially designed for the local market, but like the Sonet and the Seltos, it will be exported to other countries.
Kia EV Global Plan
Kia has confirmed that the company is all set to develop a wide-ranging EV line-up priced from $30,000 to $80,000, featuring existing models such as the EV6 and EV9, as well as future offerings tailored for the popular B- and C-segments. Kia will introduce smaller EVs like the EV5, EV4, and EV3, with prices ranging from $35,000 to $50,000, to accelerate the widespread adoption of EVs.
In emerging markets with slower EV adoption rates, the initial launch will focus on the EV6 and EV9, with subsequent releases of strategic models including the EV5, EV4, and EV3. Kia stated, "Efforts are underway to establish a reliable system for EV production and battery supply, with the brand’s goal of expanding its global EV production facilities to a total of eight by 2025."
“The EV market is expanding from one catering to the smaller early-adopter group to a more broader mass majority of customers. As a leader in the great EV transition, we have quickly expanded our EV line-up beyond the EV6 and EV9 to include a variety of small- and medium-sized models such as the EV5. Our competitive, growing EV line-up will accelerate the popularization of electric vehicles and provide consumers with more options from which to choose,” Spencer Cho, Head of Global Business Planning Sub-Division, said.
“The Kia EV5 is not just the next addition to our rapidly expanding EV line-up, but also the embodiment of how we will accelerate the EV revolution. For us, it is the perfect representation of both our future EV strategy and our commitment to accelerating the worldwide transition to EVs.”
Meanwhile, on December 14, 2023, the company officially confirmed that it will redefine the term PBV as ‘Platform Beyond Vehicle’ and officially launch its global PBV business at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, USA. It will introduce the future PBV product lineup and business vision, along with physically showcasing several PBV concept models. Kia’s CES 2024 press conference will be held at Mandalay Bay at 3 pm (PST) on Monday, January 8, 2024, and will be livestreamed on Kia's official website.
Kia's latest EV - EV6
Kia EV6 is an Electric SUV Car that can go up to 708 km on a full charge and takes 18 Min (0-80%) for a full charge. The electric motor generates a power of 320.55bhp and a torque of 605Nm. Kia EV6 is available in Automatic transmission only.
The kerb weight of EV6 is 2190 Kg. In configurations, Kia EV6 has dimensions of 4695 mm in length, 1890 mm in width and 1550 mm in height.
