Kia e-Niro supply shortages could e-Soul released first in Australia

The Driven

The arrival of the hotly awaited Kia e-Niro in Australia may be put back due to difficulties meeting overseas demand and instead it could be replaced by the South Korean carmaker’s all-electric Soul.

The Kia e-Niro, with a 64kWh battery (like the Hyundai Kona) and 450km driving range, has been on the cards for Australia for some time now and most recently it was thought that its release would coincide with the Australian Open tennis tournament that the company sponsors.

The e-Niro has been seen on Australian roads for some early validation and testing, as we reported on in late August, however Kia Australia later confirmed to The Driven that a firm release date for the e-Niro had not yet been set.

Now, according to reports from Car Advice, the e-Niro’s popularity in Europe, in part due to financial incentives to accelerate EV uptake, may now mean it faces delays, meaning that its release here may be preceded by the e-Soul that Kia was considering selling alongside it.

Australia, which is experiencing a surge of interest in electric vehicles (EVs) although petrol and diesel sales are in a 17-month decline, is sorely in need of larger SUV-style electric vehicles given the five-fold jump in electric SUV sales from August to September 2019 reported by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

To read the full story on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven, click here…