First-quarter registration data from Experian puts Tesla way out front in the EV race, with 113,882 registrations across its four models. But Tesla’s counterpart to the Ioniq 5 and EV6, the Model Y, starts at $64,440 with shipping. That’s about $22,000 more than the Kia and about $19,000 more than the Hyundai, based on entry-level models currently on sale.
Experian last week reported 6,265 registrations for the Ioniq 5 in the first quarter and 4,901 for the EV6. Kia also had 3,549 registrations for the Niro EV, and Hyundai had 685 for the Kona Electric. Hyundai’s discontinued Ioniq Electric hatchback, which launched in 2017, posted 14 registrations.
All told, the group had 15,414 EV registrations in the first quarter, Experian said. The Ford brand had 7,407 registrations, mostly for the Mustang Mach-E compact crossover. Chevrolet had just 479 EV registrations for the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV combined after a long factory shutdown, but GM had 80 for the new GMC Hummer EV pickup.
All global automakers, including Tesla, have said their production is constrained by parts shortages, particularly semiconductors.
Registrations of Volkswagen’s ID4 compact crossover were 2,926 in the January-March period, and Nissan had 4,401 for its Leaf compact hatchback.
Brands with zero first-quarter EV registrations included Toyota, Honda, Subaru and Mitsubishi — the very Japanese rivals Hyundai and Kia are targeting for conquest, along with Nissan and Mazda.
