[StEVG]

According to the Times newspaper today, Kia is pledging to sell 33% of its cars in the U.K. as pure electric or hybrid. 10% will be BEVs or what the article refers to as pure electric. This means increasing BEV sales from 700 last year to 9,000 this year. It will include the new e-Soul as well as the e-Niro. The CEO says however if the Government cut the current grant (£3,500 in U.K.) then this could have an impact on their plans. Britain is it biggest market in the U.K. and it hopes by increasing the number of BEV sales it will reduce its exposure to EU CO2 fines.
This is good news for people fed up of waiting and should lead to more competition and hopefully lower prices in the future.

 

[srichards]

PCP with 10% deposit is £555 a month. You have to put in about £13k to get it down to around £250 a month and there's still another £14k to find at the end if you still want it after 3 years. Still quite pricey.

 

[StEVG]

Yes agreed but perhaps as supply improves these figures will change?

 

[burnt_crisps2]

Should see this happening across all manufs as they face massive fines if they don’t pull their fingers out and get masses of EV’s to market.

 

[StEVG]

Sorry in my original post it should read Britain is its (Kia’s) biggest market in the EU (not U.K.)!
Interesting that while the German’s are slow at bringing affordable (relative term) to the U.K. their market share could be eroded by the South Koreans and the Chinese (via MG).

 

[srichards]

Hope they do reduce the cost. The top level soul petrol was no more than £20k from what I remember. This is silly money at £36k odd before PICG.

 

[StEVG]

Yes I wonder if they might give a choice of battery size (I think they do in some markets). I guess it depends how far demand gets stoked up by company car tax changes. 700 cars was clearly very small numbers but 9000 e-Niro’s and e-Souls is a big increase. Add the MGs, e-208, ID3 etc and that is a big increase. The prices are too high (apart from MG). So 2020 could prove interesting for EV buyers.

 

[Xinix]

Prices will drop. Eg the Niro according to my calculations is currently some €4000 (3400 pounds) overpriced, with battery pack manufacturing prices being € 140 / kWh (119 pounds). As soon as more models become available and economy of scale kicks in then EV prices will go down across all brands. I expect that as soon as 2022 a long range (70 kWh) EV in the C segment will be below € 30000 (25471 pounds). The next gen solid state batteries will bring battery prices down to €30 / kWh, then it's game over for ICE and hydrogen for that matter.

 

[StEVG]

Prices will drop. Eg the Niro according to my calculations is currently some €4000 (3400 pounds) overpriced, with battery pack manufacturing prices being € 140 / kWh (119 pounds). As soon as more models become available and economy of scale kicks in then EV prices will go down across all brands. I expect that as soon as 2022 a long range (70 kWh) EV in the C segment will be below € 30000 (25471 pounds). The next gen solid state batteries will bring battery prices down to €30 / kWh, then it's game over for ICE and hydrogen for that matter.

You are more knowledgeable than me about battery prices but yes we will be seeing battery prices come down and supply going up. My gut feel is that all the SUVs apart from MG are overpriced - they need to be closer to £25k.

 

[Jeffrey Cooper]

Not wanting to change this into an MG topic, but actually, if you look at the price of an ICE MG, compared to the EV version, they actually inflate the EV price by a greater percentage than other manufacturers - or at least they did when I last looked at the prices, and if I read them right!)

 

[StEVG]

Not wanting to change this into an MG topic, but actually, if you look at the price of an ICE MG, compared to the EV version, they actually inflate the EV price by a greater percentage than other manufacturers - or at least they did when I last looked at the prices, and if I read them right!)

But they do offer discounts on prices and if their sales come under pressure they will offer better finance deals (well that is what one their dealers told me).

 

[srichards]

If ford made a 300 mile BEV fiesta and focus for £50 pcm more than the petrol ones I'd think they'd clean up.

 

[Ev pete]

Supply and demand as more manufacturers are coming,the grants are not always helpful as far as companies will get as much as they can,but prices will come down as grants are diminished.

 

[Gif]

Britain is it biggest market in the EU. and it hopes by increasing the number of BEV sales it will reduce its exposure to EU CO2 fines.

Did I miss something, was there another referendum?

 

[StEVG]

Did I miss something, was there another referendum?

Thanks for picking me up on this. My typing skills are not the best. The point is that the U.K. is the market that buys more cars from Kia than any others in Europe. Hope that is clearer for you ?
An issue that is sometimes lost on people making political points about Europe is that there are plenty of car makers outside of Europe that still see the U.K. as an important and large market. They are happy to take a larger share of the U.K. market. That is what Kia are going to do and in another thread we have seen that Nissan are looking at options including concentrating more on the U.K. market.
Apologies in advance if I have made any more typos.

 

[jdsx]

I think the point Gif was making is that if "Britain is its biggest market in the EU, and it [Kia] hopes by increasing the number of BEV sales it will reduce its exposure to EU CO2 fines", surely someone should tell Kia that the UK (well, Britain anyway) is about to leave the EU...perhaps they haven't heard?

Which actually raises the question I haven't seen answered (apologies if I've missed it) - now the UK is free of the yoke of EU red tape, presumably it is able to ignore such hopelessly bureaucratic nonsense as trying to clean up car CO2 emissions? Or has that EU regulation been passed into UK law?

 

[proddick]

If ford made a 300 mile BEV fiesta and focus for £50 pcm more than the petrol ones I'd think they'd clean up.

I guess with just 2 seats to fit that size battery in it Like most Fords the Fiesta was never designed to have a BEV version, so as much as you might want one - it 'ain't going to happen (for current generation).

Realistically, the smallest car with that sort of range will be the large battery ID3, but even that is compromised by only having 4 seats!

 

[proddick]

Or has that EU regulation been passed into UK law?

Maybe have a read of the UK government document "The Road to Zero" when you get a few mins...

 

[proddick]

Supply and demand as more manufacturers are coming,the grants are not always helpful as far as companies will get as much as they can,but prices will come down as grants are diminished.

Do you have facts to substantiate that view?
Did Zoe prices come down when the grant dropped a £1000? No.
Did Outlander PHEVs prices come down when grant went to zero? No.

 

[StEVG]

I think the point Gif was making is that if "Britain is its biggest market in the EU, and it [Kia] hopes by increasing the number of BEV sales it will reduce its exposure to EU CO2 fines", surely someone should tell Kia that the UK (well, Britain anyway) is about to leave the EU...perhaps they haven't heard?

Which actually raises the question I haven't seen answered (apologies if I've missed it) - now the UK is free of the yoke of EU red tape, presumably it is able to ignore such hopelessly bureaucratic nonsense as trying to clean up car CO2 emissions? Or has that EU regulation been passed into UK law?

I don’t think Kia are so daft - they know the UK has formally left the U.K. They will also know that the U.K. is in a transition period this year, so the U.K. sales will count towards the EU figures. After that who knows as all up for negotiation. However, the UK will want continue to reduce emissions (commitments to Climate Change/hosting the talks in Glasgow this year etc)).