Kia Motors plans to launch six full electric vehicle in China this year through 2027 to shore up its presence in a market shifting decidedly to emissions-free cars and light trucks.
The GT version of the EV6 crossover will be sold as an import in China beginning in August, according to information the Korean brand disclosed at an event held in Shanghai on Monday.
It will be followed by two locally produced EVs — the EV5 crossover will arrive in November, followed by the EV9 crossover in 2024.
Kia didn’t reveal the other three EV models it plans to market in China over the next five years.
It expects EV products to generate sales of 180,000, or 40 percent of its annual China sales target, in 2030, the Korean brand said.
Kia currently sells only one EV model in China — the battery version of the K3 sedan. Some analysts expect EVs to account for 35 percent – or 9 million units — of China’s light-vehicle sales this year.
Due to intensifying competition, Kia’s China sales have steadily shrunk after hitting a record high of 650,000 in 2016.
In 2022, the Korean brand sold some 94,000 vehicles in China, a drop of 38 percent from the year before, according to a tally from the China Passenger Car Association.