Kia Australia may be making inroads with head office around securing a larger allocation of EV6s in 2023, but the smaller and more affordable Niro EV will remain a low-volume offering in Australia for the time being.
Chief operating officer Damien Meredith confirmed the brand’s local arm can deliver just 50 units of the Niro EV per month “if the demand is there”.
General manager for product planning, Roland Rivero, later said the Niro’s tight supply is not very different to the challenging situation for electrified Sorento variants.
“Each model line has its own hurdles. Whilst we were fortunate to secure more EV6 stock, Niro and Sorento HEV/PHEV remain a struggle,” Mr Rivero told CarExpert.
Niro EV GT-Line
Last month, Mr Rivero confirmed that Kia Australia had been forced to close order books for the Sorento Hybrid (HEV) and Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), due to high global demand.
As for the Niro, Kia Australia has previously indicated an overall monthly allocation of 100-150 units per month across Hybrid (HEV) and EV models, though an allocation of 50 EVs per months points to the lower end of that bracket.
Despite supply challenges, the new Niro and Niro Plus purpose-built vehicle (PBV) have boosted the nameplate’s fortunes in Australia of late.
A total of 1602 units were registered in 2022 across the Niro line-up, a 115.9 per cent improvement on 2021’s figure of 742.
Niro EV GT-Line
The new-generation Niro line-up arrived in Australia in July, off the back of a very successful launch in its home market of South Korea – some 16,000 units were sold in the domestic market on its first day on sale.
A total of four variants are available across two powertrain offerings, with the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) model a no-go for this latest iteration.
Pricing starts at $44,380 for the entry-level Niro HEV S, and climbs to $50,030 for the Niro HEV GT-Line. The Niro EV S starts from $65,300 while the Niro EV GT-Line lists for $72,100. All prices exclude on-road costs.
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