Kia prohibits its dealers from selling electric and plug-in hybrids until 2020

Kia has sent a circular to its dealer network with a striking and at least controversial measure. The circular prohibits dealers in the Kia Spain network from selling electric and plug-in hybrid cars until January 1, 2020, a measure that the Korean brand justifies by “a production adjustment for this year” but that actually hides a maneuver whose objective is to accumulate low-emission car registrations for next year.

In the text, whose image we attach below, Kia prohibits in an “inescapable way without any exception” billing units of electric and plug-in hybrids from October 1. The brand’s dealers will also not be able to register electric or plug-in hybrid cars from November 1, so they will have a month of margin to register the cars that have been invoiced before September 30.

The restrictions will be removed on January 1, 2020, as soon as next year begins, at which time the _CO2 emissions counter of the entire fleet sold is put back on. This is the reason why Kia has adopted the aforementioned measures, its “need to achieve the decarbonization objectives” and thus avoid the multimillion-dollar fines that the European Union will impose on manufacturers that exceed the imposed limit (limit that will be different for each brand, but with a maximum of 95 g / km of CO₂ on average for the entire fleet).

The letter explains the emission targets imposed by the European Union for the coming years and highlights the current worrying situation, in which CO figures₂ have increased due to declining sales of diesel cars (which emit less carbon dioxide than gasoline cars) and the proliferation of larger, heavier and more polluting SUVs.

In any case, Kia probably gives up this 2019 and has decided to focus efforts to try to reduce the emissions of its fleet in 2020. It does, but by making a controversial decision that directly affects customers, who will have to wait at least until next year to buy a Kia plug-in hybrid or electric. Whether they want to or not. And it is that the honor is at stake in the face of the bosses in South Korea, who would consider “a failure” unacceptable to have to pay fines for failing to meet the objectives imposed.

Analysts predict a failure of objectives by Kia

According to a study by PA Consulting, Kia will be one of the manufacturers that will breach the limit it has imposed by 2021. We said before that the limit varies depending on the manufacturer, since it is weighted according to the average mass of the vehicles sold: the higher the mass, the higher the limit. In the case of Kia it is set at 91.7 grams of _CO2 per kilometer and, according to PA Consulting, the Korean manufacturer will stay at 94.9 g / km.

To achieve the _CO2 emissions target and avoid European Union fines, Kia needs to sell 40,000 zero-emission electric cars in Europe by 2020. This would mean around 8% of the total sales forecast in 2019 and a significant increase compared to the 16,000 fully electric cars that the brand estimates it will sell this 2019 – of which 12,000 will be units of the e-Niro and 4,000 of the e-Soul. Of course, hybrids will also play a fundamental role, to a greater or lesser degree of electrification, which should also help reduce emissions from the range.

Source: Hybrid and Electric