EV Competition Heats Up

Tesla is facing new competition as new electric vehicle manufacturers come onto the scene.

Experian new vehicle registration for the first half of 2022 shows Polestar appearing in the Top 10 alongside noted EV industry models, such as the Tesla Model Y or the Ford Mustang Mach-E.

Polestar 2 is a newcomer to the market, entered the market, entering it with the 2021 model year. Now the company reports its registrations increased eightfold to 4,873 in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. The compact vehicle took the No. 10 spot on the EV registration chart by model. The Kia Niro EV with 6,931, a 143% increase, took the ninth spot.

Polestar as a brand took eighth place among all EV automakers, beating Volkswagen, which has struggled to supply its ID4 electric crossovers to the U.S. This should improve as VW produces the ID4 at its Chattanooga, Tennessee plant. New ID4 registrations fell 17% in to 4,752 during the first half of the year.

Rivian also has struggled to ramp up production since introducing its first R1T pickup in September 2021. However, the startup EV company showed a growing presence in the new data with 3,517 registrations. Lucid, another California startup, reported 978 registrations for its Air sedan after production struggles of its own.

Genesis, part of Hyundai Motor Group, is also new to the EV market this year. The automaker posted 177 registrations of its GV60 in the six-month period. The Genesis crossover came in at No. 6 for new EV registrations in the first half followed by the Kia EV6, which came in seventh place among EV models.

Originally posted on Auto Dealer Today