[Ladogaboy]

I haven't heard or read any explanation for why the Hyundia Ioniq EV U.S. sales numbers are so low. Is there a production/delivery issue? I've seen them on the road. I even submitted an inquiry to a local dealership, and I am yet to hear back. So far, it has sold only 157 units so far.

EV Sales Scorecard

 

[Raymondjram]

It depends on the advertisements and the brand fame. Hyundai is still unknown in most U.S. households because it is a South Korean brand, and few laypersons know where is South Korea or the capital's name (although a "Miss Universe" contest was held there). North Korea gets more news coverage!

Here in Puerto Rico, I see many Hyundai and Kia ads on TV, radio and in the press. I also see many Hyundai and Kia models on our local roads, too. That brand is displacing Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi as the best foreign brand for the lowest cost and is now the second best selling brand locally. If the Ioniq is offered here in hybrid and plug-in versions, they will displace the Prius as the most selling hybrid. Maybe the EV model can sell well, too.

So if the Hyundai Ioniq needs to sell better, the brand has to increase their presence and even compete head-to-head with Toyota.

"Puerto Rico is an unincorporated state of the United States, and as such new car registrations data is not accounted for in the U.S. updates. Toyota follows the market at +6% to 26.4% share, exactly double the #2 carmaker, Hyundai surging 25% to 13.2%. Kia (+2%), Nissan (+11%), Chrysler (+9%) and Ford (-6%) complete a Top 6 unchanged on 2015. Honda (+10%), Maserati(+58%), Volvo (+127%) and Jaguar (+174%) post the biggest year-on-year gains in the rest of the ranking wheres Scion (-12%), Fiat (-19%), General Motors (-22%), Mazda (-23%), Volkswagen (-27%) and Smart (-37%) suffer."

http://focus2move.com/in-2014-the-car-market-in-puerto-rico-fell-in-double-digit/
http://caribbeanbusiness.com/strong-fleet-purchases-help-auto-sales/

So you may not see any Hyundai Ioniq sales yet, but the brand is taking off.

 

[Sly Bob]

Poor sales could have something to do with the abysmal EV range.

 

[El Dobro]

Poor sales could have something to do with the abysmal EV range.

Or cheap gas.

 

[Ladogaboy]

I don't know. I think those are simple answers, but they could be true. The Ioniq EV is a superior car to the Leaf, which is enjoying some of its highest sales numbers. It could also be a matter of awareness.

Maybe I'm just confused because it isn't receiving the same amount of criticism that the Bolt EV received for being nothing more than a compliance car.

 

[alfon]

I think the plug in Ioniq hybrid with a 25-30 mile electric range will be more popular. Who wants to buy a $30,000 electric car when you have to plan on where you next charge is going to be before you even begin your trip of face being stranded on the side of the road. Range anxiety is real with 100% electric cars with a limited range...

 

[Ladogaboy]

I agree that plug-in hybrids will be more popular for the foreseeable future. But again... the Nissan Leaf is one of the top selling EVs.

 

[viking79]

The Ioniq EV sells very well in S Korea, my guess is they are mostly importing for ZEV credits until they can get longer range version here, maybe 2018 model?

 

[VikAiRious]

When the Ioniq plug-in hybrid is released nation wide - it will probably sell well. It will come in the Fall. It is a small car though - so probably why the Hybrid and EV isn't a big seller?

 

[llninja]

Hyundai is known for really cheap cars, eating away mostly at mitsubishi's and nissan's market share. I've never considered Toyota and Honda to be cheap cars as they tend to command close to MSRP due to demand. So the person who usually buys a Hyundai is in the market for a $10-20k car, not a $30k one. Even though I saw Hyundai advertising the ioniq like crazy during the playoffs (i don't recall whether it was NBA or NHL), the Prius has more brand awareness for hybrids and the volt beats it in all specs except price. But a heavily daciounted volt (alike my new $44k MSRP volt for $21k) blows away the Ioniq. The volt was nice enough to cause many luxury car owners (BMW, Jag, Lexus, Mercedes, Audi, Volvo, etc.) to switch to a Chevy, but I don't think any of these types will be caught dead in a Hyundai. The cars gives off a vibe of "i want a Honda, but can't afford one"

In a recent dash to get a new refrigerator, I've come to the conclusion that all Korean brands look good, are feature rich, but the quality isn't wuite there. They sell well by wowing the buyer with glitz and not much substance. A coworker of mine once tried to compare his Hyundai Sonata to his father's Mercedes citing he got all the same toys at a fraction of the cost. Alas, his Hyundai interior is now trashed and his father's Mercedes still runs and looks new.

 

[rmay635703]

Ioniq only sells in 2 states and at that only if you order site unseen
Hyundai is in its first year, its unproven and has a type of image problem
Gas is cheap and people want trucks.
Hyundai sells only "cars" and needs to sell very few EVs to meet MPG and ZEV requirements.

Ioniq EV is also much more expensive in the real world than the leaf which has over $10k of factory and coop incentives on top of the fed/state rebates

I can get a new Leaf for around $12k, how much is the Ioniq?

So answer is when the Gen II IONIQ comes out, the car goes nationwide and they start discounting then you might see a few deals that drive sales.

Right now the car is new, expensive and sold by a reluctant vendor

 

[El Dobro]

The Prius Prime has limited distribution, but in my area, Toyota is giving $3500 off on top of whatever deal the dealer makes. There's Toyota deales all over my area, but the Prime don't seem to be moving.

 

[Ladogaboy]

Ok, well if it is only selling in two states, that makes a lot more sense. I don't know what the discounts or deal are on it yet, but it seems to be selling well in the markets where it is fully available.

It will be interesting if they release an Ioniq EV next year with double the capacity. A 250+ mile range with the ability to recharge at close to 100 kW. That would put its long distance trip speeds on par with Teslas, as long as there is a supporting network.

 

[limbery]

I'm in Canada and I'm somewhat of a Hyundai fan. I'd been following the Ioniq development and was wanting to get one since the beginning of the year but I think it's a case of "too little, too late" since the Volt and the Bolt surpass the capabilities of the Ioniq line and are more readily available. I think Tesla is losing a lot of sales to the Bolt because GM beat them off the line with an affordable EV too.

 

[El Dobro]

The only Ioniqs around here are the hybrids.

 

[wizard_of-ahs]

Hyundai is known for really cheap cars, eating away mostly at mitsubishi's and nissan's market share. I've never considered Toyota and Honda to be cheap cars as they tend to command close to MSRP due to demand. So the person who usually buys a Hyundai is in the market for a $10-20k car, not a $30k one. Even though I saw Hyundai advertising the ioniq like crazy during the playoffs (i don't recall whether it was NBA or NHL), the Prius has more brand awareness for hybrids and the volt beats it in all specs except price. But a heavily daciounted volt (alike my new $44k MSRP volt for $21k) blows away the Ioniq. The volt was nice enough to cause many luxury car owners (BMW, Jag, Lexus, Mercedes, Audi, Volvo, etc.) to switch to a Chevy, but I don't think any of these types will be caught dead in a Hyundai. The cars gives off a vibe of "i want a Honda, but can't afford one"

In a recent dash to get a new refrigerator, I've come to the conclusion that all Korean brands look good, are feature rich, but the quality isn't wuite there. They sell well by wowing the buyer with glitz and not much substance. A coworker of mine once tried to compare his Hyundai Sonata to his father's Mercedes citing he got all the same toys at a fraction of the cost. Alas, his Hyundai interior is now trashed and his father's Mercedes still runs and looks new.

It's been my experience........you get what you pay for