Automotive News Europe - Talk From The Top Supplement - December 2019 - 18

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE

TALK FROM THE TOP

Charging ahead
Kia COO Herrera confronts CO2 barrier, embraces an electric future

Meet the COO
❚ NAME: Emilio Herrera
❚ TITLE: Kia Europe COO
❚ AGE: 57
❚ MAIN CHALLENGE:

Gaining market share and
avoiding CO2 fines.

Are you that bullish about the future
of full-electric vehicles?
Yes, I'm optimistic. Why do we believe
that the EV market will grow? The main
reason is that we have no other choice.
Why is Volkswagen suddenly heading in
this direction now? Not because they like it
but because they are forced. Volkswagen
Group sells 4 million cars in Europe; they
need to offset that with EVs to avoid paying the EU's CO2 fines. Now, Volkswagen
What's the base price for your gaso- says when they start the mass production
line-powered Picanto?
in December [of the ID3 battery-electric
car] that they will be able to sell it for
It's 10,000 euros.
30,000 euros ($33,000). I think it's a bold
How much would an electric version statement. It's a compact-segment vehiof the Picanto cost now?
cle; we're not talking about a Smart. We at
Close to 20,000 euros. You have to add Kia today are not capable of launching an
8,000 to 9,000 euros to the gasoline price. electric vehicle at 30,000 euros.
So as long as there are fiscal incentives to
Renault aims to launch a 10,000 euro support sales of EVs, it could be feasible. If governments are withdrawing in($11,000) electric car in Europe with- But I think those incentives will be gone in centives for EV purchases why build
in five years. What is your opinion?
five years because there will be so many an electric Picanto?
That is a very bold statement. One of EVs on offer by then that the governments We will have no choice. We will have to
our biggest challenges is to make EVs would not be able to support them.
do it. The A and B segments [minicars
ia has increased sales in Europe
for 11 consecutive years and its
sales are steady this year in a declining market with a 1 percent rise in the
first nine months to boost market share
to 3.2 percent from 3.1 percent. The
main task for Emilio Herrera, who became Kia Europe's COO in April 2018,
is to continue the upward trend despite the huge challenge posed by the
need to comply with the new European
Union CO2 emissions limits. The Spanish executive is confident that Kia will
avoid paying fines for missing EU CO2
targets. He says automakers will have
no choice but to electrify their ranges,
even in smaller segments. Herrera
discussed Kia Europe's electrification
strategy with Automotive News Europe
Correspondent Andrea Malan.

www.autonewseurope.com

profitable, and the smaller the car, the
more complicated that is. Therefore, a
10,000-euro EV is very challenging and
not very realistic. We know how difficult
it is because we are looking to produce
an electric version of the Picanto minicar. There is nothing confirmed yet, but
we're really looking at it. But I don't think
that it could be less than 10,000 euros,
unless you strip the vehicle down to the
bare bones.

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2019

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Automotive News Europe - Talk From The Top Supplement - December 2019

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