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.
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.
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.
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.
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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The all-electric Cadillac LYRIQ was an Electrek favorite when it first made its debut two years ago. Now, LYRIQ buyers who have been waiting for a deal can score more than $10,500 in discounts on the Ultium-based Caddy.
Our own Seth Weintraub said that GM had come in, “a year early and dollar long at $60K” when he first drove the Ultium-based Cadillac LYRIQ back in 2022. He called the SUV “a stunner,” too, heaping praise on the LYRIQ’s styling inside and out before adding that the EV’s ride quality really impressed on long journeys.
Well, if the first mainstream electric Cadillac was a winner at its original, $57,195 starting price (rounded up to $60K for easy math), what could we call it at $10,500 less?
That’s a question that’s suddenly worth asking, thanks to huge GM discounts on the LYRIQ that prompted the automotive pricing analysts at CarsDirect to name the 2024 LYRIQ one of the industry’s “Best New Car Deals” this month:
A slew of incentives can enable you to save big on a 2024 Cadillac LYRIQ. First, EVs eligible for the federal tax credit qualify for $7,500 in Ultium Promise Bonus Cash from GM. Additionally, competing EV owners can score $3,000 in conquest cash.
With more than 100 kWh of battery capacity and 300-plus miles of real-world driving range (plus available 190 kW charging capability) the Cadillac LYRIQ ticks all the boxes – but you don’t have to take just my word for that.
A global shortage of qualified operators is impacting job sites everywhere, precisely at a time when demand for housing, mineral mining, and renewable energy construction is going from peak to peak. That’s why companies from Caterpillar to Tesla to Einride are pushing to advance autonomy the way they are.
First revealed as a concept in 2021, Volvo CE’s CX01 autonomous “single drum” asphalt roller concept has seen continuous development in the years since. Making its Volvo Days debut, the CX01 has shed the original single drum design for a “split drum,” with each half being controlled by an internalized, independent electric motor.
The CX01’s electric motors not only help to propel and steer the roller, they also vibrate the drums individually, using some trick software calibration to effectively “cancel each other out,” delivering all the benefits of vibrating drum rollers without the noise.
It’s so smart, you guys
It’s also worth noting that the CX01 is something of an “extended range” EV, instead of a “pure” BEV. That’s because it uses a small, 1.4L diesel engine to spin a generator that powers not batteries, but capacitors (those blue things, above right). Those capacitors can be charged on grid power (or from an accompanying TC13 trench compactor), but they’re much better than batteries at releasing energy really quickly, enabling the diesel to operate at its maximum efficiency while maintaining extremely precise, high-torque movement from the motors.
Volvo CE engineers envision a team CX01 rollers units deployed on larger job sites that could work together and communicate with other pieces of equipment on the site. The connected equipment could help survey the job site, report on the conditions of the mat (density, temperature, and passes), and leverage AI to determine when and where to compact without the need for human operators.
All of which is great, sure – but they had me at “giant OneWheel.”
Volvo TA15 autonomous electric haul truck
Volvo TA15 autonomous haul truck; photo by the author.
Part of Volvo CE’ “TARA” line of autonomous products, the “production ready” TA15 autonomous electric haul trucks are already part of a number of pilot programs on Volvo customer job sites. Being autonomous, they’re ideally suited to performing repetitive routes, dozens of times per day, without exposing human operators to fatigue or injury.
“TARA enables you to downsize and replace larger diesel-powered vehicles with a fleet of autonomous electric Volvo TA15s capable of running 24/7,” reads the official TARA release. “This not only helps you cut emissions and increase productivity, it will also help you rightsize your machinery and optimize your hauling routes.”
And that brings us to the real topic at hand: sustainability.
Electrek’s Take
Volvo SD110 single drum roller, via Volvo CE.
As we’ve often discussed on The Heavy Equipment Podcast, there are two types of sustainability, and both are important. The first is the “classic” version of sustainability, in that our choices need to sustain the planet and environment we live in. The second is sustainability of the business – the ability to keep doing business in a way that ensures the survival of the business, itself.
Looking at the conventional Volvo SD110 conventional roller, above, you can see the incredible amount of materials – of steel, rubber, plastic, glass, etc. – that simply isn’t needed to produce the CX01 roller we started this article with.
All that added mass has a massive hidden carbon cost. The cost of getting those materials out of the ground, the need for bigger, heavier roads to support the weight of the machine, and the bigger, burlier trucks and trailers needed to transport it. Heck, even the operator’s commute to and from the job site adds to the carbon cost of the SD110, over and above the harmful emissions from its diesel engine’s exhaust stack.
The CX01? It’s objectively more sustainable than the SD110 roller in every way, and does pretty much the same job.
Following successful inbound implementations in the Pacific Northwest, North Carolina, and Mexico, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is expanding the reach of its electric semi fleet into Arizona with long-time associate JB Hunt.
JB Hunt will add the new Freightliner eCascadia electric semi to its Arizona fleet immediately, and put it to work delivering aftermarket truck parts from DTNA’s parts distribution center (PDC) in Phoenix to multiple DTNA dealers along a dedicated route.
The electric Freightliner truck is expected to cover approximately 100 miles in a given day before heading “home” to a Detroit eFill charger installed at Daimler’s Phoenix facility.
“This solution with DTNA is a great example of our commitment to supporting customers’ efforts to reduce their carbon footprint and work towards energy transition,” explains Greer Woodruff, executive vice president of safety, sustainability and maintenance at JB Hunt. “JB Hunt owns and operates several eCascadias on behalf of customers, and our drivers have really enjoyed their in-cab experience. As customer interest continues to grow, we are here to enable their pursuit for a more sustainable supply chain in the most economic means possible.”
Daimler is analyzing future expansion opportunities throughout its internal parts distribution and logistics with an eye on electrifing additional routes and further reducing the carbon footprint of its logistics operations.