Who said electric vehicle sales are slowing? Kia is on a hot streak as EV sales in the US continued to surge in September. New SUVs, including the three-row electric EV9, drove the record-setting performance.
Kia EV sales set new September US sales record
“Sales of Kia’s electrified offerings continued to grow despite the industry-wide softening in growth for all-electric models,” said Eric Watson, vice president of sales operations at Kia America.
Despite talk of a slowdown in the US electric vehicle market, Kia continued building strong momentum last month.
Kia’s all-electric models set a new September sales record, climbing 43% from last year. The growth was driven by its new three-row electric SUV, the EV9.
Kia sold another 2,096 EV9 models in September, topping the EV6 at 1,612. Through the first nine months of 2024, Kia EV9 sales reached 15,970. The EV9 is nearly outpacing Kia’s first dedicated EV, the EV6, with 15,985 units sold through September, up 8% from last year (14,798).
“Double-digit sales gains for Kia’s EV and PHEV models prove Kia’s leadership position as the industry transitions to electrification,” Watson boasted.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sept
2024 YTD
Kia EV9 US sales
1,408
1,318
1,281
1,572
2,187
1,905
1,815
2,388
2,096
15,970
Kia EV9 sales by month in the US 2024
Kia’s plug-in hybrid sales also set a new September sales record, climbing 11% year over year. In total, Kia sold 58,913 vehicles in the US last month.
2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line (Source: Kia)
Building momentum into 2025
Last week, Kia confirmed it will begin offering NACS adapters to EV6 and EV9 buyers. These adapters unlock over 16,500 DC fast chargers across Tesla’s Supercharger network.
Kia will send a free adapter if you purchased a new 2024 or 2025 EV9 or 2024 EV6 after September 4, 2024. They are expected to go out in early 2025. Access to Tesla’s Supercharger network is planned to open on January 15, 2025.
2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line interior (Source: Kia)
Starting at $56,395, Kia claims the EV9 is an industry wake-up call. With more rear legroom than a Cadillac Escalade and Range Rover P400, it’s no wonder buyers are going with Kia.
The EV9 can drive up to 304 miles (Light Long Range RWD model) on a single charge and is loaded with Kia’s latest tech and software.
Kia EV9 Trim
MSRP (including $1,495 destination fee)
EPA Est. Range (miles)
Light RWD
$56,395
230
Light Long Range RWD
$60,695
304
Wind e-AWD
$65,395
280
Land e-AWD
$71,395
280
GT-Line e-AWD
$73,900
270
2024 Kia EV9 prices and range by trim
Although it continues gaining market share in the US EV market, Kia wants more. Last month, Kia introduced a new Tesla Competitive Bonus Cash Program that offers up to $1,500 off the EV9 and $1,000 off the EV6 for Tesla drivers.
Ready to see why Kia’s EV sales are surging in the US? You can use our links below to view deals on Kia EV9 and EV6 models in your area.
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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
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.
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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.
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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 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.
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.