The Kia EV9 will be getting a lower price tag in the next few months. This is according to Kia America COO Steve Center, who told Automotive News via its Daily Drive podcast that the electric three-row crossover is set to receive US-sourced batteries in the spring, making it qualified for the full $7,500 federal tax credits.
Until then, Center disclosed that Kia has been slow-rolling the EV’s production at the automaker’s Georgia plant, which started in May. The automaker is also leaning towards leasing – allowing the automaker to pass on the full incentive to customers under the updated Inflation Reduction Act – for the EV9 until the full federal tax credit takes effect, with some lease deals going as low as $399 per month coming up earlier this year.
US-Sourced Battery Arriving Earlier Than Expected
Center’s statement on the podcast means that the US-sourced battery for the Kia EV9 is arriving earlier than expected. While Hyundai Motor Group may be in the rush to open its EV and battery facility in Bryan County, Georgia, its battery-making section – a joint venture with LG Energy Solution – isn’t scheduled to start making batteries for the US market until next year.
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Hyundai also has a joint venture with SK On in Bartow County, Georgia, which is set to supply batteries for Kia and Hyundai factories – expected to start production by the second half of next year. However, optimistic as it sounds, Center didn’t reveal where the US-sourced battery for the Kia EV9 would come from.
The Kia EV9 Is Popular
The Kia EV9 has reaped multiple awards ever since it entered the market, a fact that bodes well for its popularity among American buyers. Even with a price tag that starts at $54,900 before federal tax credits, it helped the automaker set an EV sales record this year, but the slow-roll of production is evident when you look at the most recent sales numbers.
In August, Kia moved 2,388 EV9 units, which trumped the 1,885 EV6 units sold in the same month. However, year-to-date numbers show more EV6 units being delivered to customers. Then again, the margin between the two was relatively small as of date, so we expect a positive turnout for the EV9 as soon as the full federal tax credit takes effect this spring as Center claimed.
Source:
Automotive News