Philpott.
LONDON: Kia’s UK boss has said that the brand will continue to sell combustion-engine cars "for as long as we are allowed."Paul Philpott stated to the PA news agency that Kia was "not abandoning non-EVs any time soon" and had told the same thing to dealers at a conference in Berlin at the end of May.
The brand’s combustion-engined Sportage was just named the best-selling car of October in the latest round of SMMT registration figures and it is this model – along with others like the Picanto and Sorento – which makes up the brand’s non-electric vehicle (EV) offerings.
"Next year, 28% of [of our cars] have to be EV – but that means 72% aren’t EVs. So we’ve got to keep the likes of Sportage, Picanto, Stonic and Sorento all going. For as long as we are allowed to sell non-EVs, we’ll go on selling non-EVs."
Philpott added that the brand was seeking clarity from the government on the rapidly approaching 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.
“Even 2030 is not clear yet – and we’re asking the government for clarity on what is the 2030/2035 strategy. You’ve got to determine it and tell us because then we can plan for it.
“All we know is that by 2030, 80% of everything we sell has got to be EVs – but what’s the other 80%? What can they be?”.
“We’re making billion-pound decisions about future product stream and future product investment without a clear pathway over the next decade as to what we can sell.” - PA Media
