Frankfurt, 14 February 2019 – Kia Motors Europe is embarking on an ‘Electric Mission’ across the most advanced electrified car markets in Northern Europe, in partnership with automotive research consultancy World Shopper.
World Shopper’s team of automotive industry researchers will depart Kia’s European headquarters in Frankfurt on 13 February at the wheel of an all-electric Kia e-Niro crossover. The Electric Mission team will spend the next ten days visiting the towns and cities across Northern Europe which are helping to shape the future of electric mobility. Throughout the excursion, the e-Niro will be driven more than 4,000 kilometres, through Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
World Shopper’s industry analysts will meet with key electrification stakeholders in each country, carrying out interviews with regional governors, councillors and business to gather unique first-hand insights into electric mobility trends in Europe. The researchers will also meet with consumers, exploring attitudes to plug-in vehicles and available charging infrastructure, and examining what steps could be taken to enable electric and hybrid cars to become the ‘new normal’.
The qualitative findings from the Electric Mission will be shared on Kia’s social media channels, and published in a new white paper by Kia and World Shopper at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show in March. The report will give readers access to future-proof intelligence in a fun, accessible format, and enable Kia to continue delivering the most appropriate electrified cars and accompanying services to customers across Europe.
Ricardo Oliveira, World Shopper’s Founder, said: “As the ecosystem supporting plug-in cars expands, more and more car owners are considering alternatively-fuelled powertrains. There are still a number of perceived obstacles in the way of mass uptake of electrified cars, however. This Electric Mission will enable us to learn how certain countries and regions are addressing these obstacles, and find out what needs to be done to convince more drivers of the benefits of plug-in cars. The Kia e-Niro will be the perfect companion for our journey as it already does so much to dispel some of the myths and apprehensions that many drivers have about electric vehicles.”
Artur Martins, Vice President Marketing & Product Planning for Kia Motors Europe, commented: “More than any other electric car launched to date, the Kia e-Niro helps to remove perceived barriers that drivers associate with electric mobility. With a long-distance, zero-emissions range and a stylish, practical crossover design, we want drivers to stop wondering about electric cars, and start driving them instead. Kia’s partnership with World Shopper will help us further our efforts to encourage drivers to ‘go electric’, as we use the research to adapt our products and services to the changing needs of consumers. We hope that the findings from the Electric Mission will provide regional governments and businesses with valuable insights into how they can encourage widespread uptake of electrified vehicles.”
e-Niro on sale in Europe; zero-emissions with a range up to 455 kilometres
Kia’s first fully-electric crossover utility vehicle, the e-Niro, offers a driving range of up to 455 kilometres (282 miles)* on a single charge – and up to 615 kilometres (382 miles) in the city**. Now on-sale in select European markets, the new Kia e-Niro offers greater driving range than many gasoline cars and most mainstream electric vehicles (and even many significantly more expensive electric cars) from its zero-emissions powertrain. Its unique combination of style and practicality is also matched by Kia’s unrivalled 7-Year, 150,000-kilometre warranty, which also covers the battery pack and electric motor.
The e-Niro is available with a long-range, high-capacity 64 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery, as well as a 39.2 kWh power pack, which offers drivers up to 289 km (179 miles) of zero-emissions motoring on a full charge. Plugged into a 100 kW fast charger, it takes only 42 minutes to recharge the e-Niro’s 64 kWh battery from 20% to 80%.
The new e-Niro joins existing Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid variants of the Niro – of which more than 250,000 have sold globally since its introduction in 2016. To date, Europe has accounted for more than 90,000 sales of the hybrid crossover.
The new e-Niro will be launched in Ireland later in 2019.
