Why does Hyundai not allocate more Kona's to the US Market?

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FloridaSun

FloridaSun

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I just looked at sales numbers of the Kona in Europe and so far, over 17000 Kona Electric have been sold in Europe while less than 1000 have been sold in the US. It's not lack of demand.. It's lack of allocation by Hyundai.. I wonder why they seem to (almost) ignore the US market??
 
BlueKonaEV said:
I just looked at sales numbers of the Kona in Europe and so far, over 17000 Kona Electric have been sold in Europe while less than 1000 have been sold in the US. It's not lack of demand.. It's lack of allocation by Hyundai.. I wonder why they seem to (almost) ignore the US market??
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Perhaps the real question is why the overall production numbers are so low. They could sell more everywhere, really. So what's the holdup? Barteries?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Inside EVs mobile app
 
BlueKonaEV said:
I just looked at sales numbers of the Kona in Europe and so far, over 17000 Kona Electric have been sold in Europe while less than 1000 have been sold in the US. It's not lack of demand.. It's lack of allocation by Hyundai.. I wonder why they seem to (almost) ignore the US market??
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I wonder if this would positively affect the resale value of this car in the US given high demand but low supply.
 
ericy said:
Perhaps the real question is why the overall production numbers are so low. They could sell more everywhere, really. So what's the holdup? Barteries?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Inside EVs mobile app
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LG can't provide enough batteries to Hyundai. That still does not explain why they didn't allocate at least half the production to the North American market.. The US Market is usually the biggest car market in the world..
The issue is that LG is contractually obligated to supply Chevy first.. Bolts use LG batteries just like Hyundai. I believe that LG is working on expanding production.. Hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later.. LG uses high Cobalt batteries and the shortage of batteries is mostly due to the shortage of cobalt.. Unlike the Panasonic Tesla batteries (which are low in Cobalt), LG uses high Cobalt anodes.
 
BlueKonaEV said:
LG can't provide enough batteries to Hyundai. That still does not explain why they didn't allocate at least half the production to the North American market.. The US Market is usually the biggest car market in the world..
The issue is that LG is contractually obligated to supply Chevy first.. Bolts use LG batteries just like Hyundai. I believe that LG is working on expanding production.. Hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later.. LG uses high Cobalt batteries and the shortage of batteries is mostly due to the shortage of cobalt.. Unlike the Panasonic Tesla batteries (which are low in Cobalt), LG uses high Cobalt anodes.
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I'm not sure what things are like in other markets, but here in the Northeast, I did a quick search of Hyundai inventory, and it came up with > 200 Kona EVs within 250 miles of me (southern NH). It seems that people here just aren't buying them ...
 
Europe has more significant carbon limits that are taking place soon, as opposed to the loosening of such rules here in the USA in the current political "climate". The market is "hotter" there as a result.

(Too many puns??)
 
davidtm said:
Europe has more significant carbon limits that are taking place soon, as opposed to the loosening of such rules here in the USA in the current political "climate". The market is "hotter" there as a result.

(Too many puns??)
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Of course. :) But I would imagine that there would be enough "greenies" like us, scooping up these cars.... Guess they're all going for the Tesla's.. I do see tons of those driving around here lately!
 
Robbert said:
Of course. :) But I would imagine that there would be enough "greenies" like us, scooping up these cars.... Guess they're all going for the Tesla's.. I do see tons of those driving around here lately!
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If there are cars sitting around in New England, it suggests that the greenie market is saturated. Mind you, most people have no clue whatsoever that this car even exists - the only people buying are the ones paying close attention. Other parts of the country apparently have no inventory, and people are paying good money to have the cars shipped. With the numbers that they are shipping to the US, it makes no sense to advertise.

I did some reading, and it sounds like LG battery shortages will persist for a couple of years. It is a huge shame - these things could sell like crazy if they had the cars to sell.

I was showing the car to someone we know the other day - he wanted to see under the hood and all that. He had never seen an EV before.
 
One of the issues is that many people don't even know that the Kona Electric exists.. I only found out about the Kona Electric early June 2019 and in late June, I bought one..
 
BlueKonaEV said:
One of the issues is that many people don't even know that the Kona Electric exists.. I only found out about the Kona Electric early June 2019 and in late June, I bought one..
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I don't remember where I first heard of the Kona. I had kind of wanted an EV, but just a few years ago there wasn't anything that worked for me. Not without spending 100K on a Tesla. I think I saw a comparison chart somewhere a few months ago, and the specs and reviews looked good.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Inside EVs mobile app
 
I suspect the EU Kona’s have a better profit margin on them given the mandate in the EU to dramatically tighten pollution controls.

I found out about the Kona from an article I stumbled across showing the latest EV offerings in the US. 3 days later I drove home my new Kona that I found at a nearby dealership. The salesperson never had such an easy sale (they even gave me a better price than I asked for).

The mass market won’t start to seriously consider EV’s until people in their circles of influence start buying them and manufacturers start a proper TV/print/online ad campaign about them.
 
I became aware of the Kona EV by reading one of Quebec annual car books. I only purchase that book when I know that it is time for me to get a new car.

Then I noticed that this publication had selected it as mini SUV of the year. :)

I almost went for a ioniq ev as it was cheaper. But the much bigger range of the Kona won me over in the end. :)



I
 
My son got an early Tesla M3 a year and a half ago (one of the very first in Canada) and has been bugging me ever since to get an EV. He attended the Vancouver Auto show in the spring, and told me about the Kona. So I checked it out at Hyundai dealer. But was initially more interested in the Ioniq EV (a lot cheaper), until I found out how low its range was (2019 model).

The 2020 Ioniq model was slated for a range increase with a bigger battery, but with the federal subsidy coming up on May 1, I didn't want to wait. And after a couple test drives of the Kona, I decided to spring for one. However, they only had the top Ultimate trims available then and might have gone for the cheaper Preferred model if it had been available. But am quite happy now with my choice and as long as I don't get any of those weird noises and clunks that so many here have experienced, it has actually exceeded my initial expectations.
 
Francois said:
I became aware of the Kona EV by reading one of Quebec annual car books. I only purchase that book when I know that it is time for me to get a new car.

Then I noticed that this publication had selected it as mini SUV of the year. :)

I almost went for a ioniq ev as it was cheaper. But the much bigger range of the Kona won me over in the end. :)



I
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I was distraught at Nissan not acknowledging my cell issues with my last Leaf, so that basically was the straw. LG has good chemistry (other than some 2017 Bolts) so I decided that route. Kona Ultimate model was the only one available (for pre-order) at the time. Tesla, which was beyond my affordability would have been my second choice, but lack of a hatch version (other than the pricey X) made me choose Kona.
So far I am extremely happy with that decision including astounding support from the local Hyundai dealer for information and warranty issues.
Sorry if off topic.
 
So far have not had my Kona back to a dealer. Just get the sales person calling or emailing me a few times asking how it is going and how I like my Kona. And of course the service dept trying to book service apptmts. Don't hold that against them though, as every dealer, every brand does that. I still get calls/emails to book cars that I haven't owned for more than 5 years ago. Also trying to sell new cars. Once you are in their system, can't get rid of them, and have given up telling them I don't own that car anymore.
 
I believe Europe is introducing some quotas in 2020 that mean manufacturers need to ship a certain percentage of EVs, which is why a lot of EVs are being held back til 2020, and most of the production is going to Europe.
 
ericy said:
If there are cars sitting around in New England, it suggests that the greenie market is saturated. Mind you, most people have no clue whatsoever that this car even exists - the only people buying are the ones paying close attention. Other parts of the country apparently have no inventory, and people are paying good money to have the cars shipped. With the numbers that they are shipping to the US, it makes no sense to advertise.

I did some reading, and it sounds like LG battery shortages will persist for a couple of years. It is a huge shame - these things could sell like crazy if they had the cars to sell.

I was showing the car to someone we know the other day - he wanted to see under the hood and all that. He had never seen an EV before.
Click to expand...
My personal experience: I had no idea the Kona EV existed. I went to the dealer to look at the ICE version and saw the EV sitting on the lot. Having never driven an EV before, I took the opportunity to test drive it. Needless to say, the rest is history.
 
Just a few thoughts:

I bought my Kona 2 weeks ago in LA and the dealer had quite a few in stock. I wanted a red Ultimate and they had it. Wound up buying a red Limited and he had 2 of those in stock. The day I picked mine up I saw no fewer than 3 others out for test drives. They’re out there even if a search doesn’t turn them up on websites.

I live in AZ and talked to dealers there that said they wouldn’t see them in AZ for at least 2 years. I wouldn’t have known about the EV model if I hadn’t read the fine print on a tv ad a few months back. US coastlines, Canada and Europe seem to be getting the big push not everywhere.
 
The Kona EV is certainly not being promoted enough, at least here in Connecticut. I bought a Chevy pickup last Spring and in casual conversation the sales person brought up the Bolt, saying that leasing an EV is preferable to buying because of the rapidly changing technology. That piqued my interest, and while researching the Bolt and other EV's, I stumbled across a YouTube video comparing the Bolt with the Kona, favoring the latter hands down. Long story short I leased an SEL from the nearest Hyundai dealer and couldn't be happier. We use it every chance we get. Why Hyundai keeps this car under wraps is beyond me.
 
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