Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 11

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE

 

TALK FROM THE TOP

Ready to pivot
Kia COO looks to expand hybrid, EV options in wake of diesel decline

K

ia's European sales have risen nearly
30 percent since Michael Cole took
over as the brand's chief operating officer
in late 2012. Last year the automaker increased its sales in the region by 13 percent to 435,316 vehicles, led by strong demand for its Sportage compact SUV. Kia's
hot streak has continued in 2017 and is
expected to get a further boost from the
arrival of the Stonic, its first model in Europe's fast-growing small SUV segment.
Despite all those positives, Cole has to
keep a close eye on falling sales of diesels
in Europe, where he says the "demonization" of the powertrain has affected consumer confidence. Cole explained how Kia
is adjusting to the diesel decline in an interview with Automotive News Europe Correspondent Andrea Malan.
Diesels are losing market share in
Europe faster than expected. What is
your forecast?
We are seeing a prolonged period of reduction as diesels have lost share in each
of the last two years. There has been a
"demonization" of diesel that has influenced consumer confidence. The industry is doing its job explaining that you can
have clean diesel and it can continue to
be part of the solution for clean air in the
future. I don't see 100 percent electrification or hybrid gasoline in the foreseeable
future. Diesel will have a part to play.
How is Kia adjusting its powertrain
plans to this new environment?
We can switch between different powertrains within a reasonable time frame.
For instance, we are looking to expand our
hybrid and plug-in hybrid offer by 2020.
However, the real challenge is to get to
95g/km of CO2 by 2020. Since diesel is
a big part of that effort, if it continues to
decline, we have to compensate for that.
What's your plan if diesel sales collapse in Europe?
In that case, we would need more fullelectric vehicles. We have the Soul on
the market, and we have further plans,
which I can't announce yet, to have
more BEVs [battery-electric vehicles]
within the range. In the future, there will
definitely be more electric, more plug-in

2017

In Partnership with

Meet the COO
❚ NAME: Michael Cole
❚ T
 ITLE: Kia Europe COO
❚ AGE: 54
❚ M
 AIN CHALLENGE:

Reducing Kia Europe's
CO2 emissions despite
falling diesel sales.

hybrids and you've got mild hybrid opportunities, especially with the diesel
engine. We will also continue to work on
the engine downsizing.

SUVs [European sales increased 21 percent to 1.45 million in 2016] and the
pressure to downsize to meet the future
emissions regulations.

The new Kia Stonic comes with a diesel. Does that still make sense?
It does. In markets such as Italy and
Portugal, diesel is not an issue. Overall
though, I think diesel's share of the Stonic's sales will be less than 10 percent. The
volume model will be the 1.0-liter gasoline turbo. We have no plans to launch
an electric version. There's a shift in the
SUV market from diesel to small directinjection gasoline engines.

Will the Stonic replace your Venga
small minivan?
We will continue to produce the current
version of the Venga. We have had sales
of between 22,000 and 28,000 units a
year in Europe, partly because of the
shrinking competition. We haven't decided whether to replace the current
model, but the decision will ultimately be
driven by the size of the segment.

Is there room in your range for an
SUV below the Stonic?
We don't see a crossover beneath the
Stonic. We have just announced the creation of the X-line for the Picanto [minicar], which will have a more crossoverlike styling and a slightly higher road
position, but it's still a city car.
What is your outlook for small SUVs?
Subcompact SUVs have huge potential
given what we have seen with compact

Kia and sister brand Hyundai each
launched a small SUV this year but
the cars are on different platforms.
Isn't that a missed opportunity to
have economies of scale?
Synergies with Hyundai come from the
development phase, especially from
the powertrain. Almost from that point
on, we try and have a very clear separation. As we are both mainstream
players, it's inevitable that we are in
the same segments. ANE

www.autonewseurope.com

11


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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement

Contents
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 1
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 2
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - Contents
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 4
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 5
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 6
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 7
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 8
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 9
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 10
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 11
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 12
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 13
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 14
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 15
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 16
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 17
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 18
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 19
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 20
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 21
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 22
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 23
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 24
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 25
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 26
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 27
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 28
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 29
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 30
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 31
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 32
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 33
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 34
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 35
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 36
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 37
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 38
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 39
Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 40
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