The forthcoming Kia Soul EV will cost around £25,000 when it launches late next year.
The electrified version of the next-generation of Kia's tall supermini will be priced to compete with similar models. But according to Yaser Shabsogh, Kia's UK commercial director, it "won't be priced to stimulate demand [in the segment]".
He said the projected prices were based on the assumption that the car would be sold with a battery, rather than via a leasing scheme. Kia is yet to decide whether to lease or sell the battery.
The car, which Shabsogh says will have a "low-to-mid £20,000" price tag, will also be eligible for the government's £5000 electric car grant, assuming the scheme is still operational as the car goes on sale.
Shabsogh expects around 200 Soul EVs to be sold annually in the UK. The car will be sold and supported by a small number of specialist dealers, likely based in and around major cities,
Kia UK bosses admit it will remain a niche product, but they say fuel cell vehicles will offer a bigger sales opportunity for the company once the infrastructure is rolled out to support them.
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EVs, Hybrids and Fuel Cell cars
Comparing current EVs with their equivalent ICE-powered cars isn't a particularly productive exercise, in my opinion. ICE technology, and the infrastructure that supports it, has had a near 100 year start on EVs. Fast forward twenty or thirty years from now (perhaps even less) and, if you're still driving, then chances are your daily driver will be powered by electricity, not fossil fuels. Sooner or later, the exact date is irrelevant, fossil fuels will become too expensive to viably power cars. When this happens society will look to the manufacturers to have created alternatives so people can continue on with their lives uninterrupted. Developing these alternative vehicles takes time, they can't be created in an instant. What we are now witnessing is the beginnings of that process to ultimately ensure EV technology is fully matured by the time it becomes crucial to maintaining powered transportation. Anything less from the manufacturers would be a failure to their shareholders and society as a whole. Cut them some slack, guys. If you don't want an EV then don't buy one but at least recognise why EVs will be needed, if not today or tomorrow then in the future.
Oh no
The anti plug-in brigade have only just finished venting their anger at the i3 and how electric/hybird will never take off.
Please Autocar don't put up any Leaf or Prius articles for a couple of days otherwise the countries GDP will plummet what with all that time being spent on writing in!
There is no way hey will sell
There is no way hey will sell 200 of these, unless they make each dealer register one