Kia UK boss calls for clear ZEV roadmap, plus “modest” consumer incentives
Brand CEO says ZEV mandate is a threat, asking for clarity from the Labour government
Paul Philpott, president and CEO of Kia UK, has called for a clearer roadmap regarding the country’s push to zero-emission electric vehicles, plus “modest” financial incentives for retail customers – despite his company comfortably meeting the government’s 22 per cent ZEV mandate in 2024.
In an exclusive interview with Auto Express, Philpott said: “If the level of demand from retail customers is not where it needs to be to hit future ZEV mandate targets, then we need to put incentives in place to build the momentum.
“We all remember the scrappage scheme of 2009, 2010, and the relatively modest government incentives – this saved the car industry for those two years,” Philpott told us. “I think it would be a really strong statement of intent from the government about the future environment and the rapid electrification of the UK car market if they were to put a modest incentive in place for retail customers in the same way as they have for user-choosers and company-car purchasers.”
Philpott also called for clarity on what happens with the ZEV mandate after 2030. “What we have to have coming out of this consultation is clarity on the 2030 to 2035 period,” he said. “[Labour has] made it clear in their manifesto that they're going to reinstate the end of ICE (internal-combustion engines) at the end of 2030; 80 per cent of cars by then have got to be EVs. What are the other 20 per cent allowed to be?
“We're making decisions now about product investment,” Philpott emphasised. “We're the fourth biggest market globally for Kia, so we're quite a significant player – and we don't know what we can sell other than EVs beyond 2030. That cannot be a sensible planning base.”
Overall, electric cars accounted for 19.6 per cent of the new-car market in 2024 – falling shy of the government’s 22 per cent target. Kia says “50 per cent” of its 112,252 cars registered in 2024 were electrified in some way, with 24 per cent being either plug-in hybrid or fully electric.
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