Hyundai Australia just launched two fresh electric vehicles (EVs), but new CEO Don Romano says the company is failing in its marketing and distribution of EVs Down Under.
The Korean manufacturer followed other mainstream brands by bringing its first battery-electric model – the original Ioniq – to Australia back in 2018. Since then, Hyundai’s EV range has expanded to now include five models including the Inster light SUV, the Kona Electric small SUV, the Ioniq 5 mid-size SUV (including the hot Ioniq 5 N), the Ioniq 9 large SUV, and the Ioniq 6 mid-size sedan,
Australians bought 91,292 EVs in 2024 but just 2689 of them wore Hyundai badges, ranking the automaker seventh for total EV sales behind Tesla, BYD, MG, BMW, Volvo, and sister brand Kia.
Mr Romano wants to change that during his time in Australia, which is expected to span no more than three years before the industry veteran transitions towards retirement.
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Above: Inster
“We do a terrible job with our EVs,” Mr Romano told media including CarExpert at the local launch of the Ioniq 9 last week.
“Our market share of electric vehicles is extremely low relative to our market share of total vehicles, and the only explanation for that is that we haven’t put enough focus on it.
“I can see other companies selling electric cars that are doing a much better job with their EVs than they do with their ICE [internal combustion-engined] vehicles. We’re the opposite.”
The recently launched Inster and Ioniq 9 are likely to provide a short-term boost to EV sales, although deliveries of the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 are down by 21 per cent and 67 per cent this year to the end of June, respectively.
Above: Ioniq 6
That’s despite Hyundai offering generous EV discounts to begin the year – up to $20,000 off the total cost of an Ioniq 6, and up to $5000 off the total cost of a Kona Electric in the form of deposit contributions.
Rather than focusing on new products or pricing incentives, Mr Romano wants to grow Hyundai’s electric presence through improved marketing and relations with its dealers, who were previously excluded by Hyundai’s direct online EV sales strategy.
“We spent some time in the months that I’ve been here really discussing what’s at the root of it,” he explained.
“Part of it is, when we first came out with EVs, we were selling direct – we went around our dealers. So we have a job to do to get our dealers back in the game and to let them know that we are going through our dealer body, and that they are an important part of the distribution process.
Above: Ioniq 9
“We have a lot of work to do beyond just marketing. I think it has to do with infrastructure, training and getting our dealers comfortable with the technologies, and that’s going to be a big push forward with this vehicle [Ioniq 9].
“We need to completely change the way in which we interact with our dealers… and then help them market to customers that are interested in EVs. That’s part of this launch plan.”
Local Hyundai dealers will also benefit from the arrival of the updated Ioniq 6, which is due for release in Australia during the second half of 2025, followed by the N performance flagship in 2026.
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