Kia is off to its best sales start since 1962, but with new EVs on the way, the run has just begun
Kia just notched its best first-quarter sales performance since it began selling cars in 1962. With its first electric sedan, the EV4, launching this year, Kia says its sales run is just getting started.
Kia had its best sales start in company history in 2025
After a major brand revamp in 2021, which included a new logo, slogan, and design, Kia is already reaping the benefits.
The South Korean automaker sold a record 772,351 vehicles in the first three months of 2025, topping its previous record of just over 765,100 set in the first quarter of 2024.
Kia sold 637,051 vehicles in overseas markets, 134,412 in Korea, and another 888 “special vehicles” in Q1 2025. The milestone comes after back-to-back record global sales years in 2023 and 2024.
Kia’s new look isn’t the only thing drawing buyers to the brand. It also has some of the most efficient, affordable electric cars on the market.
As part of its plans to offer “EVs for all,” Kia is launching a new lineup of mass-market electric vehicles. The EV5, a smaller electric SUV, was the first to launch in China in late 2023, starting at around $20,000 (149,800 yuan).
Kia followed it up with the EV3, another compact electric SUV, last year. Kia’s vice president Won-Jeong Jeong called it a “game-changer” after securing over 10,000 orders in Korea within a month.
Even more growth on the way?
The EV3 debuted in Europe last November, starting at around 36,000 euros ($39,000). According to Kia, the compact electric SUV is already helping draw in new buyers.
A company official said that the EV3, alongside the new Sportage and Sorento, “led to strong sales last year, recording the best first-quarter sales ever.”
With new models, including its first electric sedan, Kia says this could be just the start. The company official added, “We will continue the sales momentum with competitive new models such as the EV4 and Tasman,” Kia’s midsize pickup.
Kia opened EV4 pre-orders in Korea last month for under $30,000 (41.92 million won). Jeong said the electric sedan will “present a new direction in the domestic electric vehicle market, which has been formed around SUVs.”
Later this year, Kia will launch the EV4 globally, including in the US and Europe. A hatchback version (that actually looks pretty sleek) is also set to roll out, aimed at the European market.
Kia also confirmed this week that the EV6 and EV9 are in full-scale production at its West Point, Georgia, Plant.
The company said the move will help “further accelerate the growth of Kia’s electric vehicle sales” in the US, one of its most important markets.
And this is just the start. Kia is launching a new lineup of electric vans as it expands into new segments. Its first, the PV5, is a midsize electric van expected to rival the Volkswagen ID.Buzz.
Source: Hyundai
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Hyundai is about to launch a new electric SUV in China. With its big debut coming up, Hyundai just dropped a sneak peek, and it looks like it could be the IONIQ 4. Check it out for yourself in the video below.
Is Hyundai teasing the IONIQ 4?
We caught our first glimpse of the new EV model last month after Beijing Hyundai released a few official “spy” photos.
Despite the camouflage, you can see a few design elements, like a light bar across the front, slim LED headlights, and a closed-off grille. At first, it almost looks like a smaller version of the IONIQ 9, Hyundai’s first three-row electric SUV, but with a much sportier, shaped profile.
Beijing Hyundai released a new teaser for the upcoming electric SUV this week. The video shows “a wave of high-end operations” as the vehicle dances across the snow.
The video highlights features like real-time torque control, high-speed cornering, and the SUV’s impressive body control while driving around cones.
Hyundai’s new electric SUV is being called “OE” internally, according to The Korean Car Blog, suggesting it could be an IONIQ model.
All other Hyundai IONIQ EV models were also codenamed with an “E” internally, which is raising speculation that this could be the IONIQ 4.
Like most global OEMs, Hyundai is fighting to compete in an intense Chinese EV market, which is dominated by domestic automakers like BYD.
Hyundai opened its first overseas R&D center last year in China to spearhead its comeback. It will work with local suppliers and tech companies to develop EVs designed for Chinese buyers. The new electric SUV is expected to launch in China later this year, followed by three new energy vehicles, including EVs and EREVs.
Beijing Hyundai will release more information on April 16, with the electric SUV set to “challenge the limit of driving performance.”
What do you think of Hyundai’s new electric SUV? Is this the IONIQ 4? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Charge point provider char.gy has secured a £130 million contract to install 6,000 curbside EV chargers for Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) – the UK’s largest installation of its kind.
London-based char.gy has also been awarded a 15-year contract to operate and maintain the charging network.
Installing Level 2 chargers curbside, where most drivers in the UK park, will enable more people to take advantage of cheaper charging rates while juicing up their EVs overnight. (charg.gy’s pay as you go night tariff, between midnight and 7 am, is £0.39/kWh, compared to its £0.59/kWh day tariff.)
John Lewis, chief executive of char.gy, said the project is “a huge moment for the UK and its EV ambitions. This partnership alone will empower thousands of residents to confidently make the switch to electric vehicles, knowing they have easy access to chargers.”
Brighton and Hove City Council is among the first to tap into the government’s Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, designed to help English local authorities roll out charging solutions for residents without off-street parking. Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said making EV charging as accessible as possible is “crucial to making the switch to electric a success.”
The UK now has over 75,000 public EV chargers, according to the Department for Transport—and it looks like the country’s on pace to hit its 2030 target. Back in December, the National Audit Office said the rollout is “on track” to meet the DfT’s estimate that at least 300,000 chargers will be needed by the end of the decade.
Read more: Meet the UK’s largest solar + storage EV charging ‘Superhub’
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