They have the ev6 of course but ev9 about to launch followed by ev3 and ev4!

 

Ev9 drive...

 

I weirdly like the hinge for the front door of the EV3 and EV4. I love the EV3, EV4 looks nice too but has some weird angles.

 

My feeling is that Hyundai/Kia will be Tesla's biggest competition in NA in the next 5 years. Ioniq 5 and 6 as well as EV6 are everywhere in California, just behind Model Y and 3. I reference California as the litmus test because if an EV doesn't take hold here, it will just die a painful death.

One of the main things holding back Hyundai/Kia IMO is dealerships. Or stealerships as I call them. The Ioniq 5 for example's MSRP for an SEL is AWD is $53K....a chunk of that goes to the dealerships pocket, and doesn't even include ADM and other dealership added on markups. The only way the Ioniq 5 is a "bargain" is through leasing offers, which even then you have to spend time negotiating and combing through the numbers to make sure there is no monkey business. Oh yeah, lets not forget sitting through the upselling of useless extended warranties that have hidden gotchas that you don't find out about until you make a claim

 

and yet according to you, ioniq 5/6 and ev6 are 'everywhere' so maybe loads of people aren't as sensitive as you to 'stealership' dealings or maybe they're finding things in the products they're not finding in a tesla, like more controls than an ipad, and real parking sensors that work.

 

It's selling in mega numbers because of those rims.

Gotta have them! Haha 😂


 

Nowhere near the numbers of model Y and 3, let me make that clear, but a lot of them. Mostly leases, as that's the only way to get a decent deal on one.

Model Y is still the number one selling car in California, and Hyundai and Kia are still way behind Corolla and Civic sales

 

make up your mind.

 

Let me rephrase. As far as EV'S are concerned, they are a popular non Tesla choice. They still have a long way to go to make a dent. But their numbers are on the upswing, which is good news. And unlike other legacy automakers, they are moving full speed ahead and not pausing their EV offerings. In fact, I'm pretty sure I saw an EV9 the other day.

In other words, they are popular among the never Elon crowd. But I still believe that if they were able to direct sell, you would see more of them on the road

 

As you may remember, I went through similar dealer BS at Hyundai which kept us from owning an Ionic5. All they had to do was honor their emailed quote, and it would have been a done deal. Did you ever share the dealer experience you had when you picked up your Limited? Being you're in FL, maybe they don't feel as cocky as they do in more EV friendly locations. For the record. the second highest number of EV's in my area are Fords, followed by Rivians.

 

I was going to mention that I see more Mach-e than Ioniq 5/6, but Hyundai is closing the gap. Ford has a serious contact issue they need to address, which is not going to be a cheap fix

 

dealer gave the usual 'ludicrous' initial deal, then i pointed out hyundai's own website quote and they got more serious. took about 3 hours including another test drive until they offered a deal i accepted that was close to hyundai's website and a model y lr (which i kept referring to as my alternative). no games at all in the 'paperwork' office and i drove it home.

 

You were more lucky than me. You're in IT, so you are easily worth between $150 and $250 an hour billable. That's 3 hours you could have been billing one your clients instead of trying to get to a deal that you really should not have had to negotiate. Especially since it was on their website and brought you in. Think of the time the sales guy wasted, he could have gotten you in and out and moved on to the next customer and maybe sold one more car that day.

The dealership model pre internet was necessary, it was the only way to display cars, for customers to test drive those cars, and you needed someone to do the financing, paperwork, and eventually servicing. But today dealerships are as necessary as POTS lines (Plain old telephone service). With a smartphone or laptop, you can now do all your research, setup a test drive, place an order and do all the financing...while sitting on your couch or wherever you like to sit.

Anyway, I don't mean to bore you with the same old speech. I hope someday car companies will be able to break their bonds (more like chains) with dealerships and direct sell to their customers. Just buy a car one time directly from the manufacture, and I guarantee you will never want to go back to the old way. You'll have 3 extra hours to bill your clients, spend with your girlfriend, or just sleep

 

maybe some "never elon" people won't buy a tesla and still want an ev and maybe they get a kia/hyundai.
but that doesn't mean all non-tesla sales are going to the "never elon crowd". i am certainly not (and never likely to be) a "never elon" person.
heck you have 4 brands of ev in your driveway.
i would absolutely consider a tesla in the future. timing was off this time as knowing about highland i didn't want what's currently selling.

 

Bottom line, there are lots people who don't like Tesla's, from their looks to their minimalist styling and cabin. The Ioniq 5 and 6 have familiar controls that people transitioning from ICE vehicles will be comfortable with, plus it's a known brand. Also Hyundai and Kia are more daring with their styling, I've heard more positive feedback on their looks than negative, especially the Ioniq 5.

I'm definitely open to other brands besides Tesla, my only reluctance is 1) Charging infrastructure and 2) having to deal with Dealerships. Travelling long distances in a Tesla is a no brainer (in most cases) and of course the buying experience as well as the service experience is amazing.

Anyway, Hyundai and Kia are on the right course. I have no complaints about the Ioniq we leased, except my experience leasing it