It’s arduous to get enthusiastic about new car launches as of late. Assuming you will discover in-demand fashions on a vendor’s lot, many shops add hundreds of {dollars} to the underside line in markups, equipment, and different charges. The apply has tarnished the discharge of in any other case nice vehicles just like the Toyota GR Corolla and Honda Civic Kind R, nevertheless it’s additionally impacting mainstream, non-performance vehicles like three-row SUVs and hybrids. Kia is getting ready to launch the new three-row EV9 and is taking a proactive method to forestall vendor markups.
The automaker despatched a letter to its sellers earlier this week, saying that “the EV9 buyer is a crucial new proprietor to the Kia model, and value transparency will likely be paramount as a part of their buy expertise. We ask sellers to retail the EV9 with out markup over the Producer Recommended Retail Value.”
Kia requested properly, nevertheless it doesn’t have a ton of choices to pressure sellers to promote the SUV at MSRP. The Kia Telluride and different common fashions have lengthy had markups because of sturdy demand and restricted provide throughout the pandemic. Ford made an identical transfer final 12 months, warning sellers to not mark up the F-150 Lightning, nevertheless it’s unclear if any authorized or different actions have been taken towards the shops that didn’t hear.
Kia has already been via this course of with the discharge of the EV6 in late 2022. Sellers instantly slapped markups on the futuristic EV, with some reaching as a lot as $20,000 over the bottom MSRP. Since then, consumers haven’t been so eager to spend top-dollar for the EV6, particularly when different automakers’ EVs qualify for federal tax credit and Kia’s don’t. Whereas it can ultimately transfer manufacturing to achieve entry to the credit, Kia isn’t trying to complicate the EV9 launch, and it can’t afford to have sellers twiddling with pricing and driving consumers away. That stated, sellers usually do no matter they need, so it is going to be attention-grabbing to see how and if markups present up.
