Kia Australia is quietly eyeing off a slew of forthcoming EVs for local showrooms
Kia Australia is considering a slew of EV models before the end of the decade in a bid to increase its national electrified vehicle sales mix to 30 per cent.
The Korean marque will embark on an exciting new EV chapter from early next year with the release of the Kia EV6 – its first dedicated electric vehicle and the second following the existing Kia Niro EV.
The Kia EV6 is the first of many forthcoming EVs from Kia, with the recently-revealed Concept EV9 large SUV another that is expected to reach production soon.
Kia’s Australian operation is keeping a lid on specific details of its EV rollout for now, but officials say several options are on their EV wish list.
“There are going to be seven models in total that spawn off this Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), the first of which is EV6,” explained Kia Australia general manager of product planning, Roland Rivero.
“Which ones are still heading for Australian shores is still to be negotiated at the moment. There will be more than one or two but whether EV9 is one of them, we’re still working on with HQ.”
Following the Kia EV6, the much bigger Kia EV9 is the second Kia to be based on the Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated E-GMP architecture, which helps it achieve a range of more than 480km.
Created under Kia’s new ‘Opposites United’ design language, the Concept EV9 measures in at 4930mm long, 2055mm wide, 1790mm tall and boasts a 3100mm wheelbase.
“It’s a concept vehicle and I don’t know a whole lot else at this stage,” said Kia Australia boss Damien Meredith when asked about the EV9’s local prospects.
Meredith is keen to leverage the new E-GMP architecture in a bid to reach a higher mix of electrified sales in Australia.
“We’re looking at 30 per cent EV sales by 2030,” he said.
Additionally, Meredith is counting on the second-generation Kia Niro small SUV shown off this week to play an important role in the broader EV strategy.
“We’re [again] looking at hybrid, plug-in hybrid and EV Niro,” he said of the second-generation car.
“It’s going to be super important for us, because it gives us breadth of that type of buyer that is necessary for us to get to that 30 per cent in eight years’ time.
“It’s a really important car for us and we’re going to put a fair bit of energy into the new model. We don’t mind bringing something in late in its model cycle but it’s important that we get things set up for the next model.
“We did that pretty well with Picanto and we’ve got a big set-up ready for EV for this next model.”
Meredith also hinted the Niro EV could take on a more competitive entry price in second-generation form.
“It’s like anything, if we had our time over again [with the first-generation Niro EV] we probably would have been a bit sharper, but there’s a lot of extenuating circumstances in regards to pricing strategies and supply limitations, and us asking for something and head office saying you can have it for this or that,” he said.
“It’s going well for us at this point in time.”
Related: Kia pushing hard for Sportage hybrid modelsRelated: High-tech suspension for Kia EV6
Related: Kia EV9 Concept officially rendered
Keyword: Kia EV9 and other electric models on Aussie wish list