SEOUL, May 30 (Yonhap) — Kia Corp., South Korea’s second-biggest carmaker, said Tuesday it aims to sell 93,000 all-electric vehicles (EVs) in Europe in 2023 by launching the flagship EV9 SUV later this year.
The EV target figure accounts for 16 percent of Kia’s sales target of 578,000 vehicles in Europe this year, the company said in a statement.
Kia’s pure electric models available in Europe are the Niro EV, the Soul EV and the EV6. Last year, EVs accounted for 13 percent, or 71,602 units, of its overall sales of 542,423 units there.
The three-row seat EV9 is Kia’s second model equipped with Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated EV platform, called E-GMP, after the EV6 SUV launched in 2021. It comes with a 99.8 kWh battery and is expected to travel more than 500 kilometers on a single charge.
Kia plans to gradually launch the EV9 in Europe, the United States and other markets in the second half. Last month, Kia unveiled the EV9 in Korea ahead of its launch in the second quarter.
