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Kia says it has no intention to roll out an official price cut for the EV9 large electric SUV, despite some dealers offering discounts on their stock of up to $20,000.
Electric Cars
Kia Australia says it has no plans to formally discount its largest electric car – the $97,000 to $121,000 Kia EV9 – despite reporting sales down 45 per cent so far this year, and some dealers offering up to $20,000 off their stock.
Dean Norbiato, Kia Australia's marketing chief, told Drive there are no plans for a price cut at head-office level – something the likes of Tesla and BYD have pursued with their electric cars – as it would hurt resale values.
"It's a policy Kia doesn't have [reducing RRPs]; the price is set at day one and doesn't go back; otherwise, you upset existing customers," said Norbiato.
Kia Australia has previously said the EV9 is not intended to be a top seller, and that the deliveries it reports place it on track with its targets.
"We had a really high expression of interest in EV9. However, from a pricing standpoint, it was probably out of a few people's targets," Norbiato told Australian media in December 2024.
"It's our number one vehicle in terms of lead gen[eration] to the Kia website, and then test drives on other vehicles."
Kia Australia's head of product, Roland Rivero, reiterated that the EV9 is not solely about sales numbers.
"The EV9's role is not about units and volume. What it does for us from a brand enhancement and showcasing-our-technology perspective has flow-on effects to the rest of the range," said Rivero.
"In that regard, EV9 is doing a fantastic job. So we're not about to do anything that would upset what it does for us from a halo perspective.
"Neither are we going to do anything to upset any customers that have already gone forth and purchased an EV9."
Rivero pointed to the impact rivals' drastic price cuts have had on their vehicles' residual values and customer satisfaction.
"If you look at other experiences from other OEMs [car makers], it doesn't help your brand very much when you do dramatically reduce the price."
Although the RRP may stay static, a search of the classifieds revealed Kia dealers are offering EV9s with low kilometres – some still showing delivery mileage – for as much as $20,000 off retail.
While electric-car sales saw a 1.7 per cent year-on-year increase across 2024, it is a far cry from earlier year-on-year increases of 161 per cent in 2023, 93 per cent in 2022, and approximately 230 per cent in 2021.
The Kia EV9 is priced from $97,000 to $121,000 before on-road costs and premium paint.
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Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.
