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South Korea’s auto giants, Hyundai and Kia, are making their presence known in the US after another record sales year in the US in 2024. With new EVs launching in key segments, Hyundai and Kia expect even more growth this year. Here’s what to expect in 2025.

Hyundai and Kia set new US sales record in 2024

Hyundai and Kia are taking the US auto market by storm after another record sales year in 2024. However, this may be just the start.

With new electric vehicles arriving and new US plants coming online, Korea’s auto giants are poised to see even more demand in 2025.

For Kia, this was the seventh consecutive year with higher consumer sales. It was also the second straight year the company broke its annual sales record.

In 2024, the company’s total volume reached nearly 797,000 in the US. Sean Yoon, CEO of Kia North America, said the accomplishment validates “that our strategy is working to further elevate the Kia brand.” A big reason behind the growth is Kia’s growing EV lineup.

“Kia has solidified its leadership position within the EV market,” Yoon explained, largely thanks to “the successful launch of our flagship EV9.”

Hyundai-Kia-US-sales-2024
2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line (Source: Kia)

New EVs are in high demand

The EV9 is Kia’s first three-row electric SUV. After deliveries began in late 2023, Kia sold over 22,000 EV9 models in the US last year. That’s even more than its first dedicated EV, the EV6, with 21,715 units sold last year.

Hyundai, Kia’s sister company, also set a new US sales record with over 836,800 vehicles sold in 2024, up 4% year over year. The company credited growing demand for its EVs as a major growth driver.

Hyundai-Kia-US-sales-2024
2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 (Source: Hyundai)

The IONIQ 5 remained one of the best-selling EVs in the US, with 44,400 models sold in 2024, an increase of 31% from 2023.

Randy Parker, CEO of Hyundai Motor North America, said he’s “confident this momentum will continue.” Parker said the confidence comes from “exciting new models like the IONIQ 9 and increased US production ramping up” at its new EV plant in Georgia.

Hyundai-Kia-US-sales-2024
Hyundai IONIQ 9 three-row electric SUV (Source: Hyundai)

Hyundai began building EVs at the facility in October, starting with the upgraded 2025 IONIQ 5. Hyundai’s improved electric SUV features more range, better style, and a NACS port to charge up at Tesla Superchargers.

With US production ramping up, five Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis EVs now qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit for the first time, which should help fuel even more demand in 2025.

2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 Trim EV Powertrain Driving Range (miles) Starting Price* 
IONIQ 5 SE RWD Standard Range 168-horsepower rear motor 245 $42,500
IONIQ 5 SE RWD 225-horsepower rear motor 318 $46,550
IONIQ 5 SEL RWD 225-horsepower rear motor 318 $49,500
IONIQ 5 Limited RWD 225-horsepower rear motor 318 $54,200
IONIQ 5 SE Dual Motor AWD 320-horsepower dual motor 290 $50,050
IONIQ 5 SEL Dual Motor AWD 320-horsepower dual motor 290 $53,000
IONIQ 5 XRT Dual Motor  AWD 320 horsepower dual motor 259 $55,400
IONIQ 5 Limited Dual Motor AWD 320-horsepower dual motor 269 $58,100
2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 prices and range by trim (*includes $1,475 destination fee)

The 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 starts at $42,500 with up to 245 miles range. Starting at $46,550, the long-range model gets up to 318 miles range, up from 303 miles in the outgoing IONIQ 5. Hyundai is building the IONIQ 9 alongside the new IONIQ 5 in GA. Prices will be revealed closer to launch. Check back soon for more info.

Are you ready to see why Hyundai and Kia EV models are taking the US by storm? We can help you get started. You can use the links below to find deals on Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis EV models at a dealer near you today.

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This is it: the FIRST pure electric vehicle to wear a Lamborghini badge [video]

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This is it: the FIRST pure electric vehicle to wear a Lamborghini badge [video]

True to Lamborghini’s legacy of speed and excess, the first battery-electric vehicle to wear the raging bull is also the fastest of its kind. Only this time, the badge isn’t on a car — it’s on a personal watercraft. Meet the all-new Seabob SE63 jet sled.

Co-developed with the Italian supercar brand, the Lamborghini-badged Seabob SE63 features a more powerful jet propulsion system than any of the company’s existing personal jet sleds, and is fitted with a carbon fiber motor shaft as a further nod to the Italian luxury brand’s high-performance heritage.

Here’s the surprising thing, though: the new Seabob SE63 isn’t inspired by a specific road-going Lamborghini. Instead, it gets its name from the Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63 sport yacht built by the Italian Sea Group shipyards.

Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63


Tecnomar for Lamborghini Verde Citra; via New Atlas.

Why, yes – I will take just about any excuse to post pictures of sexy Italian super yachts in bright, vibrant colors. Thanks for asking!

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But we’re not here for superyachts. We’re here for super sleds, and German PWC specialist Cayago set out to make this one, “most powerful Seabob ever.” As such, the SE63 is designed to be grab-and-go personal jet sled that delivers significantly higher speeds than its Seabob stablemates. In fact, its makers say it’s fast enough to keep up with sharks and dolphins.

The riding experience is not just ‘a bit faster’, but thrillingly intense and unrestrained. Acceleration off the start line delivers an immediate adrenaline rush. Thrust, agility, top speed: everything is designed for maximum performance and pure emotion. 

LAMBORGHINI

The new SE63 backs up those claims with a 6.3 kW (~8.5 hp) electric motor. And, while that hardly makes it a supercar, in the world of ePWCs, it’s enough to make the SE63 a monster. The SE63 also features a bigger, more energy-dense battery than other Seabobs, a combination good for up to 60 minutes of go-fast, water-based fun.

Seabob SE63 Lamborghini


The SE63 can recharge its batteries with a standard power outlet in just 1.5 hours, and be back on the water for even more fun in the sun.

The Seabob SE63 made its debut earlier this week at the Cannes Yachting Festival. Production is set to begin in early 2026, meaning you’ll be able to get yours just in time for the summer 2026 beach season. Prices have yet to be announced – but, like any Lamborghini product, if you have to ask you probably can’t afford it.

Check out the world premier of the Seabob SE63 for Automobili Lamborghini (the sled’s official name) in the video, below, then let us know what you think of the brand’s first BEV in the comments.

World premier video


SOURCE | IMAGES: Lamborghini; via New Atlas.


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Tesla influencers tried Elon Musk’s coast-to-coast self-driving, crashed before 60 miles

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Tesla influencers tried Elon Musk’s coast-to-coast self-driving, crashed before 60 miles

A duo of Tesla shareholder-influencers tried to complete Elon Musk’s coast-to-coast self-driving ride that he claimed Tesla would be able to do in 2017 and they crashed before making it about 60 miles.

In 2016, Elon Musk infamously said that Tesla would complete a fully self-driving coast-to-coast drive between Los Angeles and New York by the end of 2017.

The idea was to livestream or film a full unedited drive coast-to-coast with the vehicle driving itself at all times.

We are in 2025 and Tesla never made that drive.

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Despite the many missed autonomous driving goals, many Tesla shareholders believe that the company is on the verge of delivering unsupervised self-driving following the rollout of its ‘Robotaxi’ fleet in Austin, which requires supervision from Tesla employees inside the vehicles, and improvements to its “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) systems inside consumer vehicles, which is still only a level 2 driver assist system that requires driver attention at all times as per Tesla.

Two of these Tesla shareholders and online influencers attempted to undertake a coast-to-coast drive between San Diego, CA, and Jacksonville, FL, in a Tesla Model Y equipped with the latest FSD software update.

They didn’t make it out of California without crashing into easily avoidable road debris that badly damaged the Tesla Model Y:

In the video, you can see that the driver doesn’t have his hands on the steering wheel. The passenger spots the debris way ahead of time. There was plenty of time to react, but the driver didn’t get his hands on the steering wheel until the last second.

In a follow-up video, the two Tesla influencers confirmed that the Model Y had a broken sway bar bracket and damaged suspension components. The vehicle is also throwing out a lot of warnings.

They made it about 2.5% of the planned trip on Tesla FSD v13.9 before crashing the vehicle.

Electrek’s Take

Tesla shareholders used to discuss this somewhat rationally back in the day, but now that Tesla’s EV business is in decline and the stock price depends entirely on the self-driving and robot promises, they no longer do.

I recall when Musk himself used to say that when you reach 99% self-driving, it is when the “march of the 9s” begins, and you must achieve 99.999999999% autonomy to have a truly useful self-driving system. He admitted that this is the most challenging part as the real-world is unpredictable and hard to simulate – throwing a lot of challenging scenario at you, such as debris on the road.

That’s where Tesla is right now. The hard part has just started. And there’s no telling how long it will take to get there. If someone is telling you that they know, they are lying. I don’t know. My best estimate is approximately 2-3 years and a new hardware suite.

However, competition, mainly Waymo, began its own “march of the 9s” about five years ago.

Tesla is still years behind, and something like this drive by these two Tesla influencers proves it.

I was actually in a similar accident in a Tesla Model 3 back in 2020. I rented a Model 3 on Turo for a trip to Las Vegas from Los Angeles.

I ended up driving over a blown-out truck tire in the middle of the road like this. I was Autopilot, but I don’t know if the car saw it. I definitely saw it, but it was a bit late as I was following a truck that just drove over it. I had probably less than 2 seconds to react. I applied the brakes, but my choices were driving into a ditch on the right or into a car in the left lane.

I managed to reduce the force of the impact with the braking, but the vehicle jumped a bit like in this video. There wasn’t really any damage to the front, but the bottom cover was flapping down. I taped it together at the next gas station and I was able to continue the trip without much issue.

However, after returning it to the Turo owner and having the suspension damage evaluated by Tesla, the repair job was estimated to be roughly $10,000. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a similar situation with this accident.

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Stellantis’ new EV battery tech will put it ahead of – well, EVERYONE [video]

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Stellantis' new EV battery tech will put it ahead of – well, EVERYONE [video]

Chrysler parent company Stellantis is calling its new, Intelligent Battery Integrated System (IBIS) system a breakthrough technology that will make future EVs lighter, more efficient, and quicker. Now, that “breakthrough” tech is now moving from concept to reality.

Co-developed with Saft, Sherpa Engineering, Université Paris-Saclay, and Institut Lafayette, Stellantis’ IBIS embeds the charger and inverter functions directly into the battery pack, an integration that results in reduced design complexity, interior space savings, and lifetime easier maintenance.

That improved efficiency carries on to the battery’s second life, too. IBIS facilitates the reuse of electric vehicle batteries in second-life battery energy storage systems (BESS) applications by reducing the need for extensive (and expensive) reconditioning.

“This project reflects our belief that simplification is innovation,” explains Ned Curic, Chief Engineering and Technology Officer at Stellantis. “By rethinking and simplifying the electric powertrain architecture, we are making it lighter, more efficient, and more cost-effective. These are the kinds of innovations that help us deliver better, more affordable EVs to our customers.”

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Key IBIS benefits

  • up to 10% energy efficiency improvement (WLTC cycle) and 15% power gain (172 kW vs. 150 kW) with the same battery size
  • reduces vehicle weight by ~40 kg and frees up to 17 liters of volume, enabling better aerodynamics and design flexibility
  • early results show a 15% reduction in charging time (e.g., from 7 to 6 hours on a 7 kW AC charger), along with 10% energy savings
  • easier servicing and enhanced potential for second-life battery reuse in both automotive and stationary applications

Those benefits stem from the fact that EVs spend a lot of time and energy converting Alternating Current (AC) to Direct Current (DC) and back again with the – that’s true whether we’re talking about a L2 home charger or energy harvested from regenerative braking. Doing away with that process and the hardware that goes along with it could unlocks significant weight and efficiency benefits, with some estimates indicating that an IBIS car could weigh in at 40 kg less than a conventionally-equipped BEV, while still offering similar range and performance. 

IBIS has been in development for several years, with the first proof-of-concept for stationary applications being built in 2022. The news today, however, is that the first fully functional, IBIS-equipped battery electric vehicle (BEV) is finally ready to hit the road.

Stellantis’ researchers installed the system under one of the company’s new Peugeot E-3008 electric crossovers. Guilt on the STLA Medium platform, the prototype follows years of design, modeling, and simulation by both Stellantis and Saft, and (if all goes well) could pave the way for the integration of IBIS technology into Stellantis’ electric and hybrid production vehicles by the end of this decade.

Stellantis IBIS EV battery tech


SOURCE | IMAGES: Stellantis.


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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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