Kia Niro Ranks 3rd in Swedish Car Market Amid Growing Eco-Friendly Vehicle Popularity

Kia Motors Sold a Total of 4,150 Units in Sweden from January to February This Year... 20% Increase Compared to Last Year

Niro EV (Photo by Kia Motors)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jihee Kim] Kia Motors' Niro is performing well in Sweden, where the eco-friendly vehicle market is rapidly growing.

According to the Swedish Automobile Association (Bil Sweden) on the 14th, Kia's Niro sold 1,680 units from January to February this year, ranking 3rd in model sales. The Swedish car market is dominated by Volvo, a symbolic domestic automaker now owned by China's Geely Automobile, and German automaker Volkswagen, which occupy most of the top 10 models. Amid this, Kia has expanded its market presence by placing both the Niro and Optima (962 units) in the 'Top 10'.

The popularity of the Niro is driving overall Kia sales. From the beginning of this year to February, Kia sold a total of 4,150 units in Sweden, about a 20% increase compared to the same period last year (3,460 units). During this period, Niro sales surged from 1,259 to 1,680 units.

This achievement is particularly significant because the Niro is an eco-friendly dedicated model lineup consisting only of electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). In contrast, the Volvo S/V60 and Volkswagen Passat, which recorded higher sales, also sell internal combustion engine models such as diesel. In fact, when narrowed down to EV and PHEV models, the Niro ranks first.

Although the Swedish car market is not large in scale at the moment, it is considered to have considerable potential in the eco-friendly vehicle sector. The Swedish government has a 'Low Carbon Strategy' to eliminate fossil fuels in transportation by 2030 and achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. It supports the development of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure and provides incentives for purchasing EVs. Consequently, automakers are reducing production of internal combustion engine vehicles and focusing more on producing electric and hybrid vehicles.

Global EV market research firm EV Sales recently ranked Sweden 4th in its 'Top 10 EV Countries of 2019,' following China, Norway, and the Netherlands. Regarding the Swedish EV market, EV Sales stated, "Market share expanded from 7.2% last year to 10.2%, finally reaching double digits," and described it as "a fairly stable market similar to France."

The key issue is securing supply volume. At the 2019 annual business performance conference call held in January, Kia said, "Backorders for the Niro vary by country within Europe, but in Sweden, they are about 7 to 9 months," adding, "We will ensure smooth supply in the first half of the year before competing models from other brands are launched to maintain both sales volume and profitability."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.