KIA America’s EV6 sales slow down to 1,716 units in July 2022

KIA America suffered a notable decline in its overall car sales in July 2022, even as sales of its electrified cars (HEVs, PHEVs, and BEVs) jumped 86 per cent year-over-year.

The American arm of South Korean automobile giant KIA Corporation announced that sales of its cars amounted to 62,449 units in July this year, representing a decline of 11 per cent year-over-year. During the first seven months of the year (January through July 2022), the automaker delivered 395,789 cars, down 12 per cent year-over-year.

Luckily, sales of KIA’s electrified cars, which include HEVs, PHEVs, and BEVs, increased 86 per cent year-over-year in the month under review. Though, the company didn’t reveal a precise number.

But, deliveries of the fully-electric KIA EV6 battery electric compact crossover SUV slowed down last month to 1,716 units, accounting for nearly 2.7 per cent of the total volume. It was the electric SUV’s lowest monthly result thus far this year. More precisely, cumulative sales of the SUV have reached a total of 14,284 units. In the seven months to the end of July, more than 14,000 units of the EV6 were delivered, which indicates the potential for deliveries of 25,000 units during 2022.

The shocking decline in the deliveries of the EV6 in July was apparently due to supply chain-related issues. The Korean automaker usually produces 6,000 to 8,000 units per month, which seems to be too low to satisfy demand.

Unfortunately, KIA didn’t reveal sales of other plug-in models as the company count them together with traditional or non-rechargeable hybrid versions.

The plug-in lineup of the company strengthened recently when the Sportage PHEV model was added to it. The Sportage PHEV offers up to 32 miles (roughly 51 kilometers) of all-electric range on a single charge.

Eric Watson, vice president of sales operations for KIA America, said, “With the introduction of the Sportage PHEV and the ongoing popularity of the all-electric KIA EV6, the brand’s push toward electrification is ongoing and we expect to continue gaining share in this important category.” Watson also revealed that the company’s eco-friendly line-up will be further enhanced production of the all-new 2023 Niro family of hybrid models has started. These hybrid vehicles are scheduled to hit KIA showrooms sometime in or around October 2022. A sporty GT version of the E-GMP platform-based KIA EV6 e-SUV, which is already available in several versions and trim levels, is also scheduled to be added to the line-up before the end of this year.