Kia boss: Cheap small electric cars are 'economically difficult' to bring to market
The UK boss at Kia, Paul Philpott, has said that car makers are finding it 'economically difficult' to bring affordable smaller vehicles to market due to the high cost of batteries, despite the ban on new petrol and diesel cars looming in 2030.
His comments follow a report from theAdvanced Propulsion Centre earlier this monththat confirmed it has dramatically cut UK electric car production forecasts up to 2025 because battery vehicles remain too expensive for many motorists.
Kia's Niro EV, which starts from 36,795, was the third best-selling electric car in Britain in 2022, while its cheapest battery-powered car is the Soul EV, which starts from 32,845.
Mr Philpott's statement came during a launch event last week hosted at its British headquarters in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, where the UK boss reflected on the brand's progression over the last 15 years - and where it's going next.
Industry figures show that Kia celebrated record sales of 100,191 units in 2022 - four times as many vehicles it sold to UK customers in 2007, making it Britain's fastest-growing mainstream car brand.
Continue read on dailymail.co.uk
