ROME – The transition to electric mobility continues unstoppable and the number of car manufacturers that have decided to embrace only the “electric cause” continues to grow. Hyundai Motor Norway has just announced that it will only sell zero-emission electric cars on the Norwegian market from 1 January 2023. A decision matured in the wake of the success that the Korean company is experiencing in Norway following the launch of the innovative Ioniq range, which took place in 2016, and which has seen sales volumes grow steadily since then.
“We have great confidence in our model portfolio and, now that we have launched the all-new Ioniq 6, the time has come to focus solely on selling 100% electric cars in the Norwegian market,” said Thomas Rosvold, managing director of Hyundai Motor Norway. The Ioniq 5 and Kona Electric have long since established themselves as the most popular cars on the market and we are confident that our EVs will ensure continued success well into the future”. It should be noted that the Ioniq Electric quickly became one of the most popular battery-powered cars in Norway and continued to achieve significant sales volumes until the last example was delivered just before last Christmas.
The shock that comes from Norway: 75% of cars sold are electric
by the Automotori editorial staff
The launch of the Kona Electric in 2018 marked a small revolution in the electric vehicle market thanks to its high range, low price and crossover look, proving to be a success both for Norwegian users (8,000 pre-orders) and for European ones. Then it was the turn of the Ioniq 5, characterized by a long range, ultra-fast charging, spaciousness and crossover design, all elements that have contributed to making it the fifth best-selling car in Norway in 2022.
The first step towards total electrification, Hyundai took in 2020 when it decided to market only hybrid and plug-in electric cars in Norway, thanks to successful models such as the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid and Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid and today it is about to set a new standard on this market. Currently the latest plug-in hybrid models of the Korean brand are on sale and from next January 1 Norway will become the first market in which the brand will sell only fully electric cars.
“We recently presented the first images of the new generation of Kona Electric, a model that will be both bigger, more elegant and even more dynamic than before – added Rosvold – Without forgetting the other innovative models arriving in the coming years: we are ready for a fully electric future”. Hyundai focuses on elements such as efficiency, wide range and innovations such as ultra-fast 800 V charging, V2L and maximum roominess thanks to the architecture of the Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-Gmp) specific for electric vehicles.
Hyundai Motor Norway had a 93% EV share this year, but electric cars have consistently accounted for more than 90% of the brand’s sales in Norway in recent years and out of the total of 25,000 cars delivered from 2020 to 2022, well 92% were fully electric. At this point, the choice of the Norwegian branch of the Korean giant is not a gamble and appears perfectly in line with the wishes of the country’s users for greener mobility.