Hyundai, Kia Make Global Top 10 for EV Sales
07 August, 2019
Hyundai and affiliate Kia were among the world's 10 best-selling electric vehicle makers in the first half of this year.
Market researcher SNE Research said on Tuesday that Hyundai sold 26,804 EVs in the first half to rank 10th in global EV sales for the first time. Its small Kona electric SUV drove sales with 23,247 cars.
Backed by brisk sales of its Model 3, Tesla maintained its top position with 155,702 cars sold, followed by China's BYD (105,574), China's BAIC (52,455) and Nissan (39,491).
In the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle segment, Kia sold 10,906 cars, rising to seventh place from 10th from the same period of last year, thanks to the popularity of the Niro. BMW topped the segment with 36,977 cars sold.
"As there is increasing demand for new EV models by Hyundai and Kia, their EV sales will grow further," said a staffer at SNE Research.
Both carmakers' sales started to pick up slightly in China, providing small relief in the market where they are struggling. Hyundai sold 47,300 cars there last month, up 57 percent on-year, while Kia sold 20,900, up 10 percent.
The growth was largely due to last year's weak performance in comparison, but they had seen their sales fall 20 to 30 percent on-year during the previous six months.
Source:
TAG(s):