“You have to teach that the transition to electric cars is simple”

The electric cars They don’t just seem to be fashionable: they are the choice of many countries and manufacturers to reduce CO2 emissions. And in Peru, the KIA brand is preparing to enter the national market with its KIA EV6, a fully electric vehicle.

According to figures from the Peruvian Automotive Association (AAP), until this last quarter of the year, 1,937 electrified vehicles have been sold, including pure electric and hybrid, and it is expected that by the end of 2022 the goal of 2,600 units will be reached.

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This is a fairly small figure when compared to other countries in the region, such as Colombia, which has become a benchmark for many countries. And globally, the change from fuel vehicles to electric cars is led by China, Norway and Sweden, according to studies by the consultancy EY and Zutobi Drivers.

How will KIA make its electric vehicle successful in our country? Felipe Sarria, general manager of the Korean brand in Peru, answers this question and other questions about the future of the new KIA EV6 that will arrive soon.

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—What are the main characteristics of this KIA EV6? What identifies it with respect to the rest, now that the range of electric ones is wider?

Yes, look, this is the KIA EV6, the European Car of the Year by the specialized press. It is a vehicle that has 320 horsepower; In other words, it is a super-production, sporty vehicle. It has 61 torque. It makes you from 0 to 100 (km/h) in 5.1 seconds, it is also a very technological car, it comes with the entire driving assistance system called ADAS, which allows you (among many things) the blind spot alert , it can give you collision warnings: if you are going to collide with someone, it makes a prediction and warns you that due to speed and trajectory you may have collisions, and it also has the alert to tell if you are falling asleep. So, it has a level of artificial intelligence or, let’s say, autonomous management associated with security. It is a vehicle with a lot of multimedia technology. Electric vehicles have to be fun, they have to be technological because that’s what people think, and they also have to be designer. People expect that in an electric vehicle.

So, we have brought this right now for marketing purposes. We started to market it in the second half of next year, but we have brought it so that people can see the tremendous characteristics that KIA has in electrification.

—Now, so far no pure electric has arrived in Peru from KÍA. This will be the first…

This year we have brought two test units because we have to do a series of load tests. Everything is going very well, so next year we start selling this model in Peru, the second half of next year, and the Niro that we sell, the non-plug-in hybrid, probably towards the end of next year we will also bring the electric version. [El próximo año 2023] KIA would already be marketing 100% electric vehicles. The volume will not be large; that is, we with the All-New Niro, which is our hybrid, we plan to sell 200 units and this year, in the first year of sale, there will be 10 a year because it is also a high-end vehicle, with a very high price, but it is a super-production vehicle.

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—Since you are talking to me about the evaluations, many brands still do not dare to bring their electric vehicles due to the lack of infrastructure. How is KIA taking that issue?

We are today a leading brand. In the last three months we are the second brand in the market, we are the third brand in the market in the accumulated year, at the end of October we have a 9% share; KIA has been in the market for 22 years: we have sold more than 220,000 cars and we are therefore leaders. So, we have a responsibility as a leader to start offering vehicles because like any commercial business it is supply and demand; So we believe that we have to start proposing this so that it enters the agenda in the different stakeholders of society to promote electromobility. Where is the change? The change is for people to see it, to try it, for people to see that the transition is easy, and that will gradually generate all the conditions that have to be created. What are the conditions? There must be a series of charging stations (electrolineras), there must be support so that there are also tax advantages, competitive advantages so that people have advantages when buying a vehicle. We expect that by 2025 the demand for hybrid-electric vehicles will grow. Today it represents 1% of my sales, but we hope that by 2025 it will represent 8% of KIA’s sales.

—There is also a matter of price. You usually see prices higher than 100 thousand dollars in electric cars. So how to bring it closer to the public? What strategy will KIA have?

Eco-friendly vehicles are attractive to millennials. We see an eco-friendly vehicle and we like it because we know what it is doing to society, we know that it is helping the planet. I mean, vehicles have become sexy. So, there is demand, desire to consume, what is missing are two things: one is to understand it better and that is part where we are going to continue proposing, showing what an electric vehicle is like, so that people know and lose their fear of the unknown. and they will realize that driving an electric vehicle is very simple. There hasn’t been anything weird, right? And the autonomy? How long does it last me? Look, this car gives you, 100% charged, 500 kilometers of autonomy. It means that with this loaded vehicle you can make a round trip to Paracas, without loading. A study has been done in Peru that in Lima more or less one travels an average of 45 kilometers per day, on average. If you charge this car, it means that you would not have to charge it for 10 days. Simple. So, you have to train, you have to educate the consumer (in a good way) teaching him that the transition to electrification is simple.

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—President Pedro Castillo had announced in his message to the Nation that he would propose a Law on tax incentives to promote electromobility. It’s been half a year and still no show. How should that kind of law be taken?

We very much hope that there may be better advantages to improve the competitiveness of electric and hybrid vehicles. I cannot speak more about the details because they do not concern me (I work for a brand), but I can tell you about the experience of markets such as Colombia, in which many advantages were given to those who have, not only in taxes, but many advantages in general for those who have a hybrid or electric vehicle, and today 8% of the market in Colombia are hybrid and electric vehicles. So, I believe that if all parties: companies, governments, municipalities, all parts of society agree to try to achieve competitive advantages for the sale of electric vehicles, I believe that we can make it grow, I do believe that we could get closer to what countries like Colombia do.

—How are you doing with the hybrids, which is the bet they already had here?

Well, with the Niro we are very happy. We are going to sell over 120 units. Next year with the new generation of the All-New Niro, a non-plug-in hybrid that has been very popular, we want to sell 200 units, which is little, but for us it represents significant growth, and for next year and by 2024 we hope to have at least least three eco-friendly vehicles, one is this, the All-New Niro and we will have one more.

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—And well, will the prices of vehicles rise next year with this income also from electric vehicles?

No. Let’s see, hybrid and electric vehicles are usually priced a little higher, but you can see it in the case of the All-New Niro, which is a hybrid vehicle, and being a hybrid SUV and with all the technology that it has It is a very competitive vehicle in price.

The KIA EV6 is an eco-friendly electric vehicle that is made from recycled material. Its battery can supply 3.6 kW of electricity to power even electric bikes. (Daniel Bedoya Ramos/)

—Now, in terms of availability, how long will these vehicles be delivered? Can this electric be separated?

We are testing this electric right now, showing the press, the market in general, the capabilities of KIA. The second semester next year it will be on sale and we will bring it.

—But when it’s already for sale, how long does it take to deliver it?

Immediately. I mean, we sell the cars we have here. We only sell the cars we have here. We import, we keep them in stock and we sell the cars. We don’t sell by order, let’s say, we sell what we have here. That is why the delivery is what takes the card plates and the logistics process.

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“As a last question.” There is a problem with the logo, and it is a subject that lately is being read a lot in the specialized media. Is it KIA or KN? It seems that this is generating confusion in the public.

It’s quite a modern logo. It’s quite an interesting change and it’s confusing a lot of people; but for me what is interesting about this, and what I take away, is that it is showing the world that KIA has changed, that KIA is in an evolution and when that confusion occurs, that I would like it not to exist because the latest What we want is to complicate life for customers, but that confusion ultimately shows that KIA has made a change and what we are working hard on right now is communicating this evolution of KIA. You had a very different image of KIA, I assure you, until you got into this car, and this is part of that. And what we are in right now is an aggressive change and aggressive changes sometimes have this type of particularities.

Source: Elcomercio