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Hyundai now on the electric offensive to catch up with Tesla

SEOUL — Hyundai, an early backer of hydrogen cars, has watched the electric rise of Tesla, including on its home turf. Now's it's going on the offensive in the battery-powered market led by its U.S. rival. The South Korean company plans to introduce two production lines dedicated to electric vehicles (EVs), one next year and another in 2024, according to an internal union newsletter seen by Reuters. Euisun Chung, leader of the Hyundai Motor Group conglomerate that also includes Kia Motors, has also held a series of meetings since May with his counterparts at Samsung, LG and SK Group, which make batteries and electronic parts. The purpose of the talks, which were publicly announced, was for Hyundai to try to secure batteries at a time of tight supply as the race for EVs intensifies, according to several industry sources. Those manufacturers also supply the likes of Tesla, Volkswagen and GM. Hyundai told Reuters it was collaborating with Korean battery suppliers "to scale up" its electric car production efficiently. It declined to comment on any plans to introduce dedicated production lines. Samsung, LG and SK declined to comment. The moves indicate the carmaker is moving aggressively to expand its electric capacity, days after Chung announced on July 14 that Hyundai Motor Group aimed to sell 1 million battery EVs a year and grab a global market share of over 10% by 2025. There's some way to go; Hyundai Motor Group sold 86,434 battery EVs last year, according to data from industry consultant LMC Automotive. That was above the 73,278 sold by Volkswagen Group but behind the 367,500 delivered by Tesla. Hyundai, the world's No.5 automaker together with Kia Motors, said its agility allowed it to lead the charge into EVs. "We are certain Hyundai is never going to fall behind," it added. No Kodak moment A senior Hyundai insider, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the company had not been concerned about Tesla when the Silicon Valley company was producing high-end cars. But it became more worried when Tesla brought out a cheaper Model 3 in 2017, according to the insider, who described it as a "strategic victory." No traditional automaker has been successful yet in catching up with Tesla, which retains an edge in battery and software technology.

Kia previews the seven electric cars it plans to launch by 2027

Kia released a dark design sketch to shine a sliver of light on the seven electric cars it plans to launch by 2027. It hopes that battery-powered models will represent at least 25% of its global sales by 2029. Long on vision but short on details, the image shows the vague outline of seven vehicles that will join the South Korean company's range in the coming years. Company CEO Ho-Sung Song noted the models will be positioned in a variety of market segments, and the image depicts several different silhouettes. The cars on the left look like SUVs and crossovers, while the ones on the right seem to ride a bit lower; there may even be a sports car in the mix. All are linked by a crease-free design, though keep in mind they're still under development. Kia is not a newcomer to the electric car segment. It released its first series-produced EV, an electric version of the Ray sold in global markets, in 2011, and its current range includes battery-powered variants of the Soul and the Niro. The aforementioned septet represents the next step in its offensive. Its members will be standalone EVs, meaning they will not be based on gasoline-powered cars, and they'll all be part of the same family. In a way, Kia is following the same path as Volkswagen, which chose to group its future EVs under the ID umbrella. We'll get our first taste of Kia's new range of electric models when the firm releases a car code-named CV in 2021. It was designed for "many regions globally," though whether that includes the United States is up in the air, and it will usher in the design language that will characterize the line-up. Unofficially, we hear it will arrive as a sedan-SUV cross that will draw inspiration from the Imagine concept introduced at the 2019 edition of the Geneva auto show. Croatia-based Rimac (which Kia has invested in) will play a role in the development process. At the other end of the spectrum, Kia is working on a rugged, body-on-frame pickup that's about as big as the Ford Ranger. It could spawn a large SUV positioned above the Telluride as an alternative to the Chevrolet Tahoe.  

2014 Kia Soul

Rounding Out The Market's Best Box
As a car critic, you can tell a lot about a new car just by looking at a map. That's because more often than not, the geography of where a vehicle is initially launched will tell you a surprising amount about how the automaker feels about its new baby. Manufacturers want their models to be shown in the best light - dynamically and socially - so they put a lot of thought into where they first let members of the media slip behind the wheel. Luxury cars nestle up closely to swank hotels in the globe's trendiest locales, high-performance cars are let loose on breathtaking mountain roads with adjacent racetracks, and so on. It all makes for a tough life, as you can imagine.
So consider it telling that when Kia first launched the Soul way back in 2009, it did so in Miami. Trendy? Check. Billiard-table level, arrow-straight smooth roads? Frequently snarled with traffic? Check and check. You see, good as it was, the original Soul wasn't a particularly thrilling driver. Competent, sure, but its simplistic suspension, modest power and upright dimensions didn't exactly afford it entertaining driving dynamics. Which is exactly why Kia launched it in an environment utterly devoid of potholes and curves (save those conjured by the area's robust plastic surgery community), instead choosing a city loaded down with pedestrians and slow-moving motorists.