‘We’re sticking with EVs!’ Kia Australia explains why EVs are important now and will be even more vital in the future

Kia Australia remains absolutely committed to EVs and sees them driving the most interest and enquiries of any vehicles in their range.

That particularly applies to the company’s most expensive offering, the huge and hugely powerful Kia EV9 large electric SUV.

Company CEO Damien Meredith told EV Central the electric market is “a struggle” at present in Australia and that “we’ve definitely reached the early adopter limit” when it comes to finding EV buyers.

But he doesn’t believe that EVs are going anywhere.

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“We’ve been telling a technology story and in the long run I think that will play to our advantage,” Meredith said.

“We had a choice, we could have started with the EV3 and we could have built up to the EV9, but instead we started with the EV6 and then the EV9, and that car has really played the role of being a halo for the brand,” he said.

“It’s a premium car, a premium brand and the torch was handed over from the Kia Stinger to the EV9 in terms of being that halo for us.

“The data is showing and what we’re seeing as well is the EV9 is leading the most amount of traffic to the Kia website.

“And then once getting to the Kia website shoppers are looking at test drives on other models; Sorento, Sportage, and even Carnival as well. So it is really acting as a catch-all and getting the customers engaged with the brand.”

The recent launch of the Kia EV5 mid-size SUV, which is more reasonably priced than the EV9, has further boosted interest in Kia’s electric range, according to the brand’s General Manager of Marketing, Dean Norbiato.

“Whiles there’s some doom and gloom on EVs at the moment, we feel that we’ve got a product that’s in market that’s now resonating as well with the EV5, so I do want to offer a counter to that narrative,” Norbiato said.

“Quite literally, the most bookings for test drives we’re taking at the moment are on EV5. That’s an EV vehicle against the Sportage, the Sorento and the Carnival.

“So, there is interest there, if you can get the right product, and we’re following this with the EV3, which is in the third biggest category, the small SUV market.”

Regardless of how difficult the market might be, Meredith says the company’s attitude towards selling electric vehicles is purely pragmatic. With the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard coming in, Kia has no choice but to find a way to sell a lot more of them.

“It’s a tough situation, but we’ve got to sell more EVs – that’s just a fact of life with the NVES. We’ve got to basically sell, in percentage terms, double what we’re doing at the moment, to meet our requirements,” Meredith said.

“So, that’s our strategy, that’s our plan, that’s our mix of sales, and that’s what we’re going to do. The legislation takes effect the first of January (2025), the penalties take effect the first of July, and that’s what we’re planning. In between that, there’s actually an election, so those variables may flip 180 degrees, who knows?”

Asked whether he would like to see the Government, and the NVES rules, change, Meredith smiled and replied: “I’ve never told anyone who I vote for”.

“But I don’t think EVs are going anywhere, I think it’s a long, long road ahead for EVs global, but they’re not going away.”