Inovev forecasts 50,000 units per year of the new Kia EV5 SUV
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Inovev forecasts 50,000 units per year of the new Kia EV5 SUV
- Korean carmaker Kia has unveiled the EV5, a mid-range, battery electric SUV. Like many of its competitors, it sits at the upper limit of the C-segment, bordering on the D-segment, measuring 4.61 meters long, comparable in size to the Citroën C5 Aircross or Opel Grandland. It is 7 centimeters longer than its internal combustion engine counterpart, the Kia Sportage. In fact, the Kia EV5 has been available in China for almost two years, as the Korean carmaker considers China a priority market for battery electric vehicles (10 000 sales on 9 months 2025).
- For Europe, this is the third new model unveiled by Kia since the beginning of the year, following the presentation of the EV4 sedan (C segment) and the PV5 minivan (D segment). The EV3 compact SUV (B segment) was presented last year.
- In terms of design, the Kia EV5 adopts the distinctive style of the EV3 and EV9. Based on the Hyundai-Kia group's E-GMP platform, it can accommodate five people (so as not to compete with the EV9, which seats seven) and features a 160 kW electric motor coupled with an 81.4 kWh NMC battery, with a higher capacity than the one used in China (a 60.3 kWh LFP), giving it a range of 530 km according to the WLTP cycle. The model uses the 400 V architecture used in the brand's battery electric compact models, rather than the 800 V architecture used in the EV6 and EV9.
- The Kia EV5 will be imported from China (it is also produced in Korea), unlike the EV4 sedan, which has just begun production in Zilina, Slovakia, despite the tariffs imposed on cars from China. Inovev forecasts a global production of 50,000 Kia EV5 units per year.
PHEV sales fall back to 16% of the Chinese market over 8 months of 2025
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PHEV sales fall back to 16% of the Chinese market over 8 months of 2025
- Global sales of PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles), which are concentrated in two major regions (China and Europe), increased slightly in the first eight months of 2025 compared to the first eight months of 2024, to 3.92 million units versus 3.68 million, representing an increase of 6.5%.
- China, where PHEV (including REEV – Range Extender Electric Vehicles) sales increased by 10% during the period, reaching 2.89 million units compared to 2.63 million, alone accounts for 74% of global PHEV sales. The market share of PHEV in China is slightly decreasing to 16% compared to 20% in 2024.
- Europe (30 countries), where PHEV sales increased by 24% over the period, to 765,000 units compared to 619,000, represents 20% of global PHEV sales. Their market share has gradually risen to 9% of the European market.
- The United States and Japan remain very low-demand markets for PHEVs (less than 2.5% market share in the US and less than 1.5% in Japan). Together, they account for only 6% of global PHEV sales.
Inovev forecasts 70,000 units per year of the new Kia K4
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Inovev forecasts 70,000 units per year of the new Kia K4
- The Korean carmaker Kia is revising its model naming policy for Europe, adopting the one used in North America. Indeed, the replacement for the Kia Ceed, a C-segment hatchback with an internal combustion engine whose production ceased in August in Slovakia, is called the K4. This model also replaces the ProCeed and XCeed, which were derived from the Ceed.
- The Kia K4 is a 4.44-meter-long hatchback (a two-box sedan with a fifth door at the rear), quite similar to a station wagon (due to its third side window and vertical rear section). It is only available with internal combustion engines; the battery electric version is the EV4, produced in Zilina, Slovakia. It is uncertain whether the Kia K4 will be produced in Slovakia; there are reports suggesting it will be produced in Mexico, at Kia's Pesqueria plant.
- The new model, which will compete with the Peugeot 308, Opel Astra, DS N°4, Volkswagen Golf, Audi A3, Seat/Cupra The Leon, Skoda Octavia, BMW 1 Series, Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3, and Hyundai i30 will receive several engine options: a 1.0-liter three-cylinder turbo with 115 hp available in gasoline or mild-hybrid (MHEV) versions, and a 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbo with either 150 hp or 180 hp . A full-hybrid (F-HEV) engine, which is not a plug-in hybrid, will be added to the lineup in 2026.
- The Kia K4 will have to try to revive sales of the Kia Ceed, ProCeed and XCeed, which have fallen to less than 100,000 units per year since 2023, whereas they reached 200,000 units at the beginning of their career in 2008. The Kia K4 and EV4 are expected to be produced at 120,000 units in 2030, including 70,000 K4s and 50,000 EV4s.
BEV sales represent 26% of the Chinese market and 17.5% of the European market over 8 months to 2025
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BEV sales represent 26% of the Chinese market and 17.5% of the European market over 8 months to 2025
- Global sales of BEV (battery electric) passenger cars are concentrated in three major regions (China, Europe, United States) continued to progress in the first 8 months of 2025 compared to the first 8 months of 2024, at 6.98 million units against 5.91 million, representing an increase of 18.2%.
- China, where BEV sales increased by 44% over the period, reaching 4.72 million units compared to 3.29 million, alone accounts for 67.6% of global BEV sales. The market share of BEVs in China is now reaching 26% of the passenger car market.
- Europe (30 countries = EU + UK + Switzerland + Norway), where BEV sales increased by 14% over the period, to 1.5 million units compared to 1.32 million, represents 21.5% of global BEV sales. Despite this growth, the market share of BEVs in Europe has remained practically stable at around 17.5% for the past year, never reaching 20%. This poses a real problem with regard to the European Commission's objective of battery electric vehicles by 2035.
- The United States, where BEV sales increased by 8% over the period, reaching 0.88 million units compared to 0.81 million, alone accounts for 12.5% of global BEV sales. In August 2025, the US BEV market reached a record high due to a rush to buy before the federal tax credit expired on September 30. Consumers anticipated the end of this incentive by accelerating their purchases, creating a temporary windfall.
- The Japanese BEV market is still not taking off, it is in fact declining, falling gradually from 1.5% in 2024 to 1.0% in 2025 of the Japanese market as a whole.
Magna Steyr will produce Chinese cars in Austria
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Magna Steyr will produce Chinese cars in Austria
- The assembler Magna Steyr has an assembly plant in Graz, Austria, with a production capacity of 200,000 vehicles per year, for subcontracting agreements generally signed with premium/luxury brands such as Mercedes, BMW, Fisker, Saab, Chrysler, Aston Martin, and Jaguar. In recent years, the Graz plant has been producing only 100,000 vehicles per year, or even less. In 2024, several contracts were terminated, notably with the discontinuation of sales of the Jaguar I-Pace and E-Pace, as well as FiskerOcean. The factory nevertheless continues to assemble Mercedes G-Class, BMW 5 Series, BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra. But these last two models are on probation because BMW and Toyota have announced their withdrawal in 2026.
- Magna-Steyr therefore approached several other carmakers to continue assembling vehicles at its Graz plant. Two Chinese carmakers responded favorably to this request: Xpeng and GAC. While they currently sell few vehicles in Europe, they have ambitions to increase sales, like most Chinese carmakers. Xpeng sold 10,879 battery electric vehicles in Europe in the first eight months of 2025, representing between 16,000 and 20,000 for the entire year. Assembling them in Austria could allow them to avoid the heavy European Union tariffs on models imported from China (31% for Xpeng) and also open doors to the North American market.
- The Xpeng G6 and G9 have been assembled in Graz since the beginning of September 2025, despite no official announcement from the carmaker. The GAC Aion UT and Aion V will be assembled in Graz within a few weeks, with a production run of a few thousand units per year. These models have not yet been sold in Europe.
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