Bringing its new electric vehicles EV6 and Niro to Turkey a short time ago, Kia announced its electrification strategy and future targets.
Kia Turkey General Manager Can Ağyel, who made statements at the promotional event of the two models in question, made evaluations about the current developments in the sector.
Stating that the chip and raw material crisis has not been resolved, Ağyel said that this is reflected in the sales figures. Can Ağyel, “Raw material prices have increased excessively, there is also a shortage of personnel in the logistics sector. On the other hand, consumer interest in automobiles has increased as the demand that was delayed during the pandemic period has returned in the world. All this causes us to bring fewer vehicles to Turkey.”
Noting that Turkey is at a disadvantage because it is not a member of the European Union, Ağyel said, “As the emission limit in European Union countries is 95 grams, automobile manufacturers mostly send electric and hybrid vehicles to Europe in order to meet the emission rules. That’s why we can send any number of vehicles to Turkey. “We demand 10 vehicles, they send 1 vehicle. If we could get the number of vehicles we want, our sales would increase. We hope that we can bring more electric vehicles to Turkey as the market develops and production increases,” he said.
‘THEY ASK HOW DO YOU LIVE WITH INFLATION’
Can Ağyel emphasized that inflation is on the agenda of Europe, and signaled that a price hike may come in the upcoming period.
Ağyel said, “Europe did not know about inflation. In times of zero inflation, cars were only raised in the new model year, now the picture has changed. The energy crisis alone is a sufficient reason for increasing cars. All brands producing in Europe will have a hard time this winter. We When we go to the meeting in Germany, we get questions like ‘how do you live with inflation?'” he said.
Noting that the majority of the cars sold in Turkey recently are low-segment vehicles, Ağyel said, “The fact that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is lower than in Europe causes the sales in the Turkish market to be predominantly in the A and B segments. Our hope is that the purchasing power will increase. “We will achieve the target of 2.7 percent market share in the passenger car market, our expectation for the end of the year is a market size of 750 thousand units,” he said.
‘WE WANT TO TURN OUR PRODUCT RANGE TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES’
Noting that the Korean brand will develop 14 electric models by investing $25 billion until 2027, Kia Turkey General Manager Can Ağyel stated that the EV 6 and Niro EV models have been developed in line with this strategy.
Ağyel said, “By the end of 2023, we will bring our electric model EV 9 to Turkey and develop the alternatives we offer to our customers in electric vehicles. In 2024-2025, 6 different electric car models will be offered for sale. In 2026, electric commercial vehicles will be produced. “We share our commercial vehicle experiences with Europe. We want to convert the product range to electric models as soon as we can find vehicles,” he said.
Stating that 5 percent of Kia’s total sales on a global scale by the end of 2022 will be from electric vehicles, Ağyel said, “21 percent of total sales in 2026 and 30 percent in 2030 will be obtained from fully electric vehicles. With the inclusion of hybrid vehicles, The share of electric and electric-assisted vehicles in total sales will reach 52 percent.Kia aims to sell 4 million vehicles, 1.2 million of which are electric, in the global arena in 2030, expand its connectivity and autonomous driving technologies in all its vehicles, and become the leader in the PBV (purpose-built commercial vehicle) market. aims,” he said.
IT CAME BOTH HYBRID AND ELECTRIC
The second generation of the Niro is offered for sale in both hybrid and electric versions.
Niro Hybrid offers a combined power of 141 horsepower and a combined torque of 265 Nm with a 1.6-liter gasoline engine and 32 kWh electric motor.
The Niro EV, on the other hand, can reach a driving range of 460 km (WLTP) by combining the electric motor with 204 horsepower (150 kW) and 255 Nm of torque with a 64.8 kWh battery. The electric Niro, which also offers DC charging, can be charged from 10 percent to 80 percent in 65 minutes at 50 kW DC charging stations and 45 minutes at 100 kW DC stations.
Niro Hybrid and Niro EV are offered for sale in Turkey with the Prestige hardware package at the first stage.
THE FIRST MODEL TO USE THE NEW PLATFORM
The Korean brand’s electric-only EV6 model was launched in Turkey in June with the GT-Line 4×4 version.
The vehicle with a crossover design, the EV6, is also the first car to use the special platform (E-GMP) designed by Kia for electric vehicles (BEV).
According to WLTP data, the EV6, which can reach a driving range of up to 506 kilometers on a single charge, can charge its batteries from 10 percent to 80 percent in 18 minutes with the 800V charging technology used in Europe.
According to the statement, in the last months of 2022, the GT version of the EV6 with 585 horsepower will also be available in Turkey.