Kia expands electric vehicle offerings to five new states

Irvine, California – Following the launch of the Soul EV late last year in California, Kia Motors America (KMA) is expanding availability into Georgia, Texas, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii.

Electric vehicle demand has been growing in these states, and consumers there have expressed significant interest in Soul EV. And with more than 1,8001 charging stations combined, the EV infrastructure within these markets makes battery-powered travel convenient.

Within each state, select Kia retailers will be certified to sell and service the Soul EV, and customers will have access to charging stations installed at these facilities. The Soul EV-authorized Kia dealership locations will be announced closer to the Soul EV's on-sale date in the expansion states later this year. Additional markets are set to come online in 2016.

"From the inception of the Soul EV program, Kia's sales strategy has been progressive and pragmatic," says Orth Hedrick, vice president of product planning, KMA. "With the level of demand and supporting infrastructure in the state, California was a natural place to start, but we've been carefully studying other markets. Between consumer reaction to the Soul EV and growing infrastructure programs in these five states, this is a logical – and exciting – next step in our rollout plan."

Georgia, where Kia has a plant in West Point, will be the first new state to receive the electric vehicle. Sales are set to begin during the second quarter, and Soul EV owners will be able to locate the 2842 charging stations statewide using the UVO EV Services telematics system.

Following the Soul EV's expansion into Georgia, four other states – Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and Texas – are expected to come online in June.

Source: Kia Motors America