In the first half of this year, North American electric vehicle (BEV) sales by domestic automakers increased significantly by 60.8%, with Korean electric vehicles leading among imported brands excluding American brands.
According to a report recently released by the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA), U.S. electric vehicle sales in the first half of this year were 708,509, up 6.4% from the same period last year. Electric vehicle sales were 536,382 units, a 0.2% decrease from the same period last year, and the proportion of electric vehicles in total passenger vehicle sales was 6.9%, a 0.1 percentage point decrease from last year. On the other hand, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) increased by 35.7% compared to the same period last year, mitigating the decline in overall electric vehicle sales. The number of hydrogen electric vehicles (FCEV) decreased by 82.4% to 322 units.
Domestic brands such as Hyundai and Kia achieved good performance in the first half of this year, with sales surging 60.8% thanks to the launch of pure electric vehicles, corporate promotions, and strengthened promotions by manufacturers. Sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles decreased slightly by 3.5% due to production adjustments, and overall electric vehicles Sales increased 46.4% compared to the same period last year.
Despite strong performance by Ford, GM, and Stellantis, electric vehicle sales in the U.S. increased only 0.5% year-on-year, largely due to a decline in Tesla sales. The proportion of sales also fell from 70.1% last year to 66.2%.
Of the total electric vehicle sales, 61,843 Korean brand electric vehicles, 53,549 European brand electric vehicles, 34,777 Japanese brand electric vehicles, and 386,213 American brand electric vehicles were sold. Excluding American brands, Korean brands are ranked first in electric vehicle sales, surpassing European and Japanese brands.
It is known that Korean brands have also achieved good results in model sales, with the Hyundai IONIQ 5 ranked 4th, Kia EV6 10th, Kia EV9 11th, Kia Niro 14th, and Hyundai IONIQ 6 18th. A total of 5 models ranked in the top 20. On the other hand, Tesla's Model Y and Model 3, which ranked first and second in U.S. electric vehicle sales last year, maintained their respective positions, but their combined market share fell by about 10 percentage points from 55.7% to 46%.
Comments