IAA 2025 Kia confident it can lead European EV market

Kia's electric vehicles are displayed at the company's booth at the German street of Ludwigstrasse in Munich, Tuesday (local time). Courtesy of Kia

MUNICH — Kia has returned to this year’s IAA auto fair after a four-year hiatus with renewed confidence in electric vehicles (EV), showcasing a full-fledged lineup to the European market.

Kia is among the few automakers offering a full lineup of EVs, ranging from compact models to large SUVs. With Europe standing as one of the fastest-growing EV markets alongside China, Kia’s return to the show is seen as a strategic move to capitalize on the event as an opportunity to strengthen its electric foothold in the region.

Designed with an exhibition concept of “Windows of Inspiration,” Kia’s event hall was set up over a 650 square meter space.

Kia expressed confidence in leading the European EV market with a display of seven EV lineups during the exhibition. They include its best-selling EV3 compact SUV, the EV4 sedan and the EV9 large SUV. The carmaker also brought its much-touted PV5 electric van to the event venue.

Kia made public its EV5 mid-sized electric SUV for the first time to European customers. The carmaker expects the vehicle to help make deeper inroads into the European EV market alongside its key strategic models such as the EV3 and the EV4, both of which are compact cars that meet local customer demand.

Kia’s EV3 serves as the carmaker’s key profit driver. The vehicle reached almost 40,000 sales in Europe between January and July. This accounted for some 64 percent of Kia’s total EV sales in the same region.

The EV3 offset falling sales of other EV lineups, such as the EV6 crossover SUV and Niro EV, as the EV3 comes with strong commercial value that appeals to European customers who seek compact yet practical eco-friendly cars. It ranked sixth among top-selling EVs in Europe in the first half of this year.

Kia's EV2 concept car / Courtesy of Kia

The carmaker hopes to drive further EV sales growth with a hatchback version of its EV4 compact sedan. Last month, the carmaker started mass production for the vehicle at its Slovakian factory. This is the first time Kia has produced all-electric cars in Europe.

Kia also showcased its concept model for the EV2 small electric SUV, optimized for city drives.

“We are standing at the forefront of global popularization of EVs by participating in global major mobility shows across the world,” said Ryu Chang-seung, senior vice president and head of global brand at Kia.