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| Kia Motors' Soul EV |
By Park Jin-hai
Kia Motors' Soul became the best selling electric vehicle (EV) in Korea last year.
Of the 1,183 EVs sold last year, Kia's hatchback topped the list selling 414 vehicles, accounting for more than a third of the local EV market, according to the Korea Automotive Manufacturers Association.
Renault Samsung Motors' SM3 ranked second with 309 SM3 Z.E.s sold, followed by Kia's Ray with 202 sold.
Kia's two flagship EVs together accounted for more than half of the fast-expanding local electric vehicle market.
The Soul EV's popularity stems largely from the 148 kilometers the company claims the car can travel on a single charge, which is longer than the rival SM3 Z.E.'s 135 kilometers and the Nissan Leaf and BMW i3's 132 kilometers.
"Rival models' batteries tend to lose battery efficiency in cold weather. But, the Soul EV ― thanks to its heat pump system ― is losing less efficiency and that is another plus point," said a Kia official.
The Soul also has a 10-year warranty, a market first for battery-powered cars.
German carmaker BMW's five-door urban electric car i3 trailed the list with 170 sold here last year, while GM Korea's Spark EV and Nissan's Leaf hatchback stood in fifth and sixth place after selling 70 and 16, respectively, according to the association.
The local electric car market has been rapidly expanding over the past few years. Last year's sales showed 65.5 percent growth from the 715 vehicles sold in 2013.
Industry insiders say that next year will see fiercer competition in the segment as the nation's top carmaker, Hyundai Motor, will debut its new compact EV.
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