Kia will have just 75 examples of its new Niro hybrid (HEV) and electric vehicle (EV) to sell every month in Australia at launch.
With a 60/40 split between EV and HEV models, that means the brand will have roughly 45 electric models and just 30 hybrids on hand.
Kia Australia points to huge demand in Korea for the car – 16,000 were sold during its first day on sale, according to the brand – as one of the factors holding back local supply.
The GT-Line is expected to be a stronger seller than the base S in both HEV and EV guise. Initially, Kia had forecast it would be able to sell between 100 and 150 examples of the Niro per month at launch.
The PHEV is off the table for Australia at launch due to the Australian market’s low demand for plug-in hybrids, which was reflected in local Niro sales.
With no Seltos hybrid coming in the generation, no Sportage hybrid, and tight supply of the Niro HEV, Kia lacks the tools to properly tackle the Toyota RAV4 hybrid and incoming Corolla Cross hybrid.
PHEV sales in general continue to flounder here partly due to the lack of European-style incentives and CO2 targets.
The Niro isn’t the only Kia eco-car to be held back by tight supply. Demand for the EV6 is through the roof, but Kia is only able to bring around 500 cars to Australia in 2022. Prices for the EV6 have recently been upped range-wide.
It’s able to get just 10 examples of the Sorento plug-in hybrid every month, and hasn’t been able to secure the Sportage hybrid for Australia to take on the strong-selling Toyota RAV4.
MORE: Everything Kia Niro
