US sales numbers surprisingly low

[David T in Silicon Valley]

Hi All,

I went looking for how many 2019 Kia Niro EVs were manufactured. What I did find was this estimate of US sales of EVs at InsideEVs. They do not divulge how they estimate this for Kia and Hyundai, who apparently do not break out electric sales. If the numbers are accurate (perhaps I should say shocked?) that Niro and Kona sales are so low! I suppose with the pricing and range similar to the lower end Model 3 and the word just not being out there much yet, it just does not have much awareness. I had assumed the Niro was significantly cheaper than the 3 (oops, well it is including the Federal tax rebate). What it does have is better passenger room and cargo space, a long term stable manufacturer behind it and better repair records.

The link above shows 1800 of them sold in the US in 2019 through September, half being Konas, about a quarter each Ioniqs and Niros, and nearly no Souls (<100). Wow. No wonder this forum is not super well trafficked.

If anyone can point me to manufacturing numbers of model year 2018 and 2019 Konas and Niros globally, please point them out. Thanks!

 

[David T in Silicon Valley]

Found these two stories which are old news.

https://cleantechnica.com/2019/08/2...vehicles-but-where-are-the-battery-contracts/ (August)
https://insideevs.com/news/343487/kia-vies-to-become-industrys-mass-market-maker-of-evs/. (March)

When I was canvassing northern and Southern California Kia dealers in mid November as I prepared to purchase my Niro, I found about 25 Premium trim Niro EVs in my color. A quick survey of California inventory at Kia.com shows about 160 in both trims around the state.

This Federal Reserve Board study shows car inventories typically represent about 2 months worth of sales (See figures 2-4 on pages 27 and 28). Assuming electric car inventories scale like ICEs that would suggest about 80 a month are being sold in California and given the limited distribution (a very non thorough search of Boston, NY, DC, Florida, Texas Portland, Seattle, Atlanta suggests California may have 1/4 to 1/3 of the inventory *) sales of 220/month nationally are a reasonable guess right now.

Up since mid year, but not very much. Wonder if the Kona is still twice as many or more.

Still looking for any data on the total size of the production run and how many wound up in the U.S.

(*) During this little adventure, I noticed that if the model wanted is not available within the distance range set on the Kia.com inventory search, it will take you to a location outside of range, but not always the nearest. Fargo, ND took me to Atlanta. Ann Arbor, MI took me to Washington, DC. Weird.

 

[SMR]

Hi All,

I went looking for how many 2019 Kia Niro EVs were manufactured. What I did find was this estimate of US sales of EVs at InsideEVs. They do not divulge how they estimate this for Kia and Hyundai, who apparently do not break out electric sales. If the numbers are accurate (perhaps I should say shocked?) that Niro and Kona sales are so low! I suppose with the pricing and range similar to the lower end Model 3 and the word just not being out there much yet, it just does not have much awareness. I had assumed the Niro was significantly cheaper than the 3 (oops, well it is including the Federal tax rebate). What it does have is better passenger room and cargo space, a long term stable manufacturer behind it and better repair records.

The link above shows 1800 of them sold in the US in 2019 through September, half being Konas, about a quarter each Ioniqs and Niros, and nearly no Souls (<100). Wow. No wonder this forum is not super well trafficked.

If anyone can point me to manufacturing numbers of model year 2018 and 2019 Konas and Niros globally, please point them out. Thanks!

Haven't seen global statistics but this article shows Kona & Niro sales in South Korea for 2019:
https://cleantechnica.com/2019/12/0...-dominate-south-korea-electric-vehicle-sales/

 

[David T in Silicon Valley]

Haven't seen global statistics but this article shows Kona & Niro sales in South Korea for 2019:
https://cleantechnica.com/2019/12/0...-dominate-south-korea-electric-vehicle-sales/

Thanks for that. Good to see there are thousands out there in Korea, and I suspect that is where the bulk of the sales are. The cleantechnica article refers to http://www.ev-volumes.com. .They are tracing registrations by country. If I was willing to pay some unknown amount (request for quote? Yikes!)

We could get the scoop for whatever they are selling it for, but since they are selling it, probably could not tell anyone! I wonder if they would provide single model data at a discount since it would be less useful for marketing planning?

 

[Ev050]

I have to say that most people in the Boston area don’t even know there’s such thing as a Kona Hyundai all Electric. That doesn’t sell cars!


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs

 

[David T in Silicon Valley]

With king tides more frequently resulting in flooding, I suspect some folks are thinking about what electric cars they can buy. I found the Niro by searching for a car that still has its federal rebate wholly intact and with > 150 mile range...

 

[ericy]

I found the Niro by searching for a car that still has its federal rebate wholly intact and with > 150 mile range...

I was really looking for >200, but otherwise the same. I routinely make 150 mile trips, and it was important that I be able to do this without stopping to charge. The Kona gives me a nice buffer in the wintertime when the range is reduced without needing to charge to 100%.

 

[papab]

The sales numbers are low because very few dealers have them. Doing a search on the kia website from colorado only showed CA and TX. Do they have a low supply so they are rolling them out slowly?

 

[marshall]

The sales numbers are low because very few dealers have them. Doing a search on the kia website from colorado only showed CA and TX. Do they have a low supply so they are rolling them out slowly?

Kia's web site only shows CA and TX because those two states are closest to you. We have a bunch of them in the Seattle area for sale.

Go to cargurus to get a better idea as to what is available nationally.

 

[David T in Silicon Valley]

Found these two stories which are old news.

This Federal Reserve Board study shows car inventories typically represent about 2 months worth of sales (See figures 2-4 on pages 27 and 28). Assuming electric car inventories scale like ICEs that would suggest about 80 a month are being sold in California and given the limited distribution (a very non thorough search of Boston, NY, DC, Florida, Texas Portland, Seattle, Atlanta suggests California may have 1/4 to 1/3 of the inventory *) sales of 220/month nationally are a reasonable guess right now.

Up since mid year, but not very much. Wonder if the Kona is still twice as many or more.

Still looking for any data on the total size of the production run and how many wound up in the U.S.

(*) During this little adventure, I noticed that if the model wanted is not available within the distance range set on the Kia.com inventory search, it will take you to a location outside of range, but not always the nearest. Fargo, ND took me to Atlanta. Ann Arbor, MI took me to Washington, DC. Weird.

Kia's web site only shows CA and TX because those two states are closest to you. We have a bunch of them in the Seattle area for sale.

Go to cargurus to get a better idea as to what is available nationally.

As noted in the first quoted post, Kia's algorithm might not take you the closest ones. I found them in the locations noted above in my non-systematic survey. CarGurus' algorithm seems to be saner (And also seems to find them all, currently showing an inventory of 596, or monthly sales of ~300 if Kia sticks to the Federal Reserve study finding as if it is a law). Thanks for that tip, Marshall!

 

[SMR]

Hi All,

I went looking for how many 2019 Kia Niro EVs were manufactured. What I did find was this estimate of US sales of EVs at InsideEVs. They do not divulge how they estimate this for Kia and Hyundai, who apparently do not break out electric sales. If the numbers are accurate (perhaps I should say shocked?) that Niro and Kona sales are so low! I suppose with the pricing and range similar to the lower end Model 3 and the word just not being out there much yet, it just does not have much awareness. I had assumed the Niro was significantly cheaper than the 3 (oops, well it is including the Federal tax rebate). What it does have is better passenger room and cargo space, a long term stable manufacturer behind it and better repair records.

The link above shows 1800 of them sold in the US in 2019 through September, half being Konas, about a quarter each Ioniqs and Niros, and nearly no Souls (<100). Wow. No wonder this forum is not super well trafficked.

If anyone can point me to manufacturing numbers of model year 2018 and 2019 Konas and Niros globally, please point them out. Thanks!

Found a recent article which suggests total US Sales for the Niro EV around 1200 (apparently most of the vehicles so far have been sent to European markets). It also says that Niro EV owners are highly satisfied with their purchase. Here's the link:
https://www.torquenews.com/1083/2-reasons-why-kia-niro-ev-was-left-crs-list-most-satisfying-cars

 

[David T in Silicon Valley]

The inside EVs US sales scorecard has been updated , and perhaps this was the source for the torquenews article. Niro overtook Kona in US sales the last two months of the year with sales relative to September doubling in October(!) and tripling(!!) in November/December. My methodology of using inventory to estimate sales rate underestimated sales by about 20%, but if sales were increasing rapidly, it might take time for inventory to adjust. Either way, it was a reasonable ballpark estimate.

US Niro EV inventory is currently about 820 according to Car Gurus, which implies an even higher anticipated sales rate of around ~400/month. Interestingly, Kona electric US inventory is about the same.

Still small numbers but combined sold about 2600 in 2019