Kia America reports 51,983 car sales in the United States in January, which is 22 percent more than a year ago and the best-ever January.
However, while the total volume is relatively strong, the all-electric Kia EV6 noted only 1,110 units sold last month (after 1,107 in December and 641 in November). That’s 2.1 percent of Kia’s sales.
This is a slowdown compared to what we have seen in the beginning, when the model was launched in February 2022, and for several months noted 2-3 thousand units per month.
In 2022, Kia sold a total of 20,498 EV6 in the US and an additional 8,209 Niro EV, which in total means over 28,700 units. All-electric car sales more than tripled compared to 2021.
The main question is what is the future of the Kia EV6 in the US, as the model might remain ineligible for the $7,500 federal tax credit due to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). That’s a big competitive disadvantage, which also affected the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Genesis GV60 (all three models based on the E-GMP platform and imported from South Korea).
The new performance-oriented Kia EV6 GT version (above the GT-Line trim), which can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.4 seconds, probably will not be enough to boost the volume to the initial level.
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We don’t know the Kia Niro EV sales in January yet (those numbers come later, through the company’s different report), but in the past, it has been usually from a few hundred to over 1,000 units a month.
Unfortunately, the manufacturer does not report sales of other plug-in models, as they are counted together with conventional or non-rechargeable hybrid versions.
This year, Kia will unveil the EV9 model – a large, three-row SUV, based on the E-GMP platform. This model is expected to significantly increase Kia’s electric car sales.
