The fourth International Electric Vehicle Expo, which takes place at the Yeomiji Botanic Garden of Jungmun Resort in Jeju Island, South Korea, started today. This event is where Hyundai and Kia usually show their eco-friendly car novelties.
The Korea Herald brings us the good news:
“Hoping to gain momentum through the event, Hyundai Motor unveiled an affordable version of the Ioniq Electric trim “I” to expand its presence in the EV market, which is growing at a slower-than-expected pace. The proportion of EVs around the world accounts for 0.01 percent of the total number of vehicles.
The South Korean carmaker launched the Ioniq Electric with two trims “Q” and “N” in June last year. Hyundai sold 3,749 units last year, making up 63 percent of the market, the company added. The “I” trim is offered at 18.4 million won ($16,300) after applying financial benefits provided by the government.”
We’ll have to wait and see if this new cheaper trim is also introduced outside South Korea.
In Europe the price difference between the hybrid and electric variants of the Hyundai IONIQ is roughly 10.000 €, which is nonsense, considering that the electric variant is much simpler to build and the small LG Chem battery doesn’t justify this huge price difference.
Kia is also at the event showing its new Kia Soul EV with more battery capacity and range.
