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Despite talk of an electric vehicle “slowdown,” Kia EV9 sales are surging. The electric SUV is on track to reach 50,000 within its first year of launching after being “well received in overseas markets.”

Kia EV9 sales are surging in its first year on the market

After officially unveiling its first three-row electric SUV in March 2023, Kia kicked off EV9 deliveries in Korea last June.

Since hitting the market, over 48,000 EV9s were sold globally through April. According to industry sources (via KEDGlobal), Kia EV9 sales are likely to reach 50,000 in May. The sources said Kia has been selling 2,000 to 3,000 EV9s a month.

Exports of the electric SUV accounted for 81.4% (39,309 units) of Kia’s total sales volume during its first 11 months on the market. Between January and April 2024, the EV9 accounted for 93% of exports.

The momentum has picked up this year, with 12,211 EV9s sold overseas through the first four months of 2024. Of them, 5,579 were shipped to the US, Kia’s largest sales market.

“The EV9 became an outstanding large electric SUV as it was well received in overseas markets,” an industry source in Seoul explained.

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Kia EV9 GT-Line (Source: Kia)

Meanwhile, despite a strong start in its home market, EV9 sales have struggled to gain traction. Only 970 EV9 models were sold in Korea between January and March 2024.

Several reports from Korea note that higher prices and early quality issues are causing slow domestic sales. To help boost sales, Kia cut EV9 prices by up to $2,620 (KRW 3.5 million) in February.

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Kia EV9 interior (Source: Kia)

Charging ahead in 2024

In the US, the EV9 helped Kia achieve a record EV sales month in April. Kia sold 1,572 EV9s in April, for a total of 5,579 year-to-date.

Kia expects EV sales to continue surging, with its entry-level EV3 launching later this year. After previewing a series of affordable electric models at its first annual EV Day in October, Kia revealed more details for the new EV3 last week.

Kia-EV3
Kia EV3 GT-Line (Source: Kia)

The EV3 will launch in Korea in July, followed by Europe in the second half of the year. Kia said it plans to expand EV3 sales to other overseas markets but did not specify which ones. It’s expected to start around $30,000.

Next year, Kia will follow it up with the EV4, its take on an entry-level electric sedan. The EV4 is expected to start at around $35,000 as Kia looks to meet the growing demand for affordable EVs.

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Kia EV lineup from left to right: EV6, EV4, EV5, EV3, EV9 (Source: Kia)

Electrek’s Take

Kia’s (and Hyundai’s) dedication to electric vehicles is already showing. After launching the EV9 last year, with starting prices under $55,000, Kia called its large electric SUV a “wake-up call” for the industry.

Can Kia maintain its strong performance with new competition, such as the Chevy Blazer EV, Chevy Equinox EV, and Honda Prologue?

Kia is expected to begin EV9 production in the US this month, which will qualify it for a portion of the federal tax credit and increase its competitiveness.

To clear inventory, Kia is also offering massive deals on its electric vehicles in the US. With stackable savings, Kia offers up to $12,800 off 2024 EV6 and EV9 models.

Are you ready to take advantage of some of Kia’s biggest discounts so far? We can help you get started today. Check out our links below to see Kia EV9 and EV6 deals in your area.

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Hackers turn Nissan LEAF into full-scale RC car, record drivers’ conversations [video]

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Hackers turn Nissan LEAF into full-scale RC car, record drivers' conversations [video]

A team of white hat European hackers using their brains, keyboards, and a couple of bits and baubles from eBay managed to take control of a 2020 Nissan LEAF and violate just about every privacy and safety regulation in the process.

The best part: they recorded the whole thing.

Budapest-based cybersecurity experts PCAutomotive were able to exploit a number of vulnerabilities in a 2020 Nissan LEAF that enabled the white hat team to geolocate and track the car, record the texts and conversations happening inside the car, playing media back through the car’s speakers, and even (this is the genuinely terrifying dangerous part) turning the steering wheel while the car was moving. (!?)

Maybe the scariest part of this hack, however, is how seemingly easy it was to pull off by starting with a “test bench simulator” built using parts from eBay and exploiting a vulnerability in the LEAF’s DNS C2 channel and Bluetooth protocol.

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The PCAutomotive team gave a hugely detailed 118-page presentation of their exploit at black hat Asia 2025, which we’ve included at the bottom of this post, in case the original link goes dead. If you’re into that sort of thing, the fun stuff starts around page 27. And, if you’re not, just know that all the vulnerabilities were disclosed to Nissan and its suppliers between 02AUG2023 and 12SEP2024 (p. 116/118), and the “attack” itself can be seen in the video below that. Enjoy!

Summary of vulnerabilities

  • CVE-2025-32056 – Anti-Theft bypass
  • CVE-2025-32057 – app_redbend: MiTM attack
  • CVE-2025-32058 – v850: Stack Overflow in CBR processing
  • CVE-2025-32059 – Stack buffer overflow leading to RCE [0]
  • CVE-2025-32060 – Absence of a kernel module signature verification
  • CVE-2025-32061 – Stack buffer overflow leading to RCE [1]
  • CVE-2025-32062 – Stack buffer overflow leading to RCE [2]
  • PCA_NISSAN_009 – Improper traffic filtration between CAN buses
  • CVE-2025-32063 – Persistence for Wi-Fi network
  • PCA_NISSAN_012 – Persistence through CVE-2017-7932 in HAB of i.MX 6

Remote exploitation of Nissan LEAF



Electrek’s Take


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2024 Nissan LEAF; via Nissan.

This is one of those posts that, on the bright side, does a great job explaining how a remote operator can “log in” to a vehicle and steer it out of trouble when a weird or edge-case-type situation pops up.

Unfortunately, this is also one of those posts that some of the more clueless anti-EV hysterics will point to and say, “See!? EVs can get hacked!” But the reality is that virtually any car with electric power steering (EPS), electronic throttle controls, brake-by-wire, etc. can be hacked in a similar way. But, while steering a target’s car into an oncoming semi might be a great way to pull off a covert CIA assassination, the more worrying issue here is the breach of privacy and recording – unless you want to spend some time in El Salvadoran prison, I guess.

Remember, kids: Big Brother is watching you.

SOURCE | IMAGES: black hat.


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A vast new UK battery plant just secured £1B to power 100k EVs

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A vast new UK battery plant just secured £1B to power 100k EVs

A major new EV battery factory is being built in Sunderland, bringing 1,000 new jobs with it. AESC, Nissan’s battery partner, is behind the £1 billion ($1.33 billion) plant, which will boost the UK’s EV battery production by six times, enough to power 100,000 electric cars annually.

The 12 GWh capacity plant, AESC’s second battery plant in Sunderland, will be powered by 100% net-zero carbon energy. That big jump in capacity helps position Britain as a global player in EV manufacturing while pushing forward the country’s net-zero goals.

The investment is getting a serious financial lift from the British government. Through a combination of support from the National Wealth Fund and UK Export Finance, the project is unlocking £680 million in financing from major banks, including HSBC, Standard Chartered, SMBC Group, Societe Generale, and BBVA, that covers the construction and operation of the battery factory. Another £320 million is coming from private investment and fresh equity from AESC. On top of all that, the government’s Automotive Transformation Fund is pitching in with £150 million in grant funding.

This deal follows closely on the heels of the new UK-US trade agreement announced a day earlier, which cuts car export tariffs from 27.5% down to 10% for up to 100,000 UK-made vehicles – nearly the total number exported last year. That move could save car companies hundreds of millions of pounds and help protect good-paying jobs in manufacturing hubs like Sunderland.

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Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves visited AESC in Sunderland, where she met with staff and local leaders to discuss what this means for the Northeast and the British car industry.

“This investment follows hot on the heels of yesterday’s landmark economic deal with the US, which will save thousands of jobs in the industry,” Reeves said.

Read more: UK unveils largest curbside EV charger installation of 6,000 ports


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Ford is facing a worker strike at its EV plant in Germany: Here’s why

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Ford is facing a worker strike at its EV plant in Germany: Here's why

It’s about the future of their jobs. Ford workers at two plants in western Germany are set to go on strike on Wednesday, their works council chief said on Monday.

Ford is facing a worker strike in Germany

In November, Ford announced it would cut around 4,000 jobs in Europe by 2027 as part of a restructuring, primarily in Germany and the UK. That’s still about 14% of its European workforce.

The American automaker said the move comes after it has incurred “significant losses” in recent years and a “highly disruptive market” with new EVs quickly gaining market share.

Ford blamed slower-than-expected demand for electric vehicles and a weak economic situation. It also plans to slow production at its Cologne EV plant, where the electric Explorer and Capri are built.

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Last week, IG Metall members voted in favor of “industrial action” with 93.5% of votes in favor of a strike. “Ford must act now—otherwise, we will go through with it,” said Kerstin D. Klein, Chief Representative of IG Metall Cologne-Leverkusen.

Ford-worker-strike
Ford Explorer EV production in Cologne (Source: Ford)

Ford is facing an influx of new competition, including Chinese EV makers like BYD. BYD’s overseas sales are surging with a fifth straight month of growth in April.

BYD even outsold Tesla in Germany last month, with 1,566 vehicles registered. In comparison, Tesla had just 855, and Ford saw 9,534 registrations.

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Ford’s electric vehicles in Europe from left to right: Puma Gen-E, Explorer, Capri, and Mustang Mach-E (Source: Ford)

On top of this, Ford, like most of the industry, is preparing for more disruption with Trump’s auto tariffs. After releasing Q1 earnings last week, Ford warned that the tariffs could cost up to $2.5 billion this year.

During Ford’s earnings call, CFO Sherry House said that recent EV launches in Europe, including the Explorer, Capri, and Puma Gen-E, helped more than double Model e’s wholesale volume in Q1.

After early success in the US, Ford also launched its “Power Promise” promotion in Europe, offering EV buyers a free home charger and several other perks.

Source: Reuters

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