It’s a taxi war.
KG Mobility has officially declared its entry into the taxi market with the Korando EV model. The Korando EV taxi, set to launch in June next year, enhances its commercial value by using lithium iron phosphate batteries found in the Torres EVX model. Considering the complaints of existing electric taxi owners, KG Mobility has significantly extended the warranty period for the electric motor to 10 years or 300,000 km, and the battery warranty to 10 years or 1,000,000 km.
Customers who purchase the Korando EV taxi outright will receive a complimentary tire exchange voucher specifically for the Korando EV. For those opting for a 60-month installment plan, a daily installment fee based on 8,000 won is applied.
Hyundai will resume production of the discontinued Sonata taxi. The new Sonata taxi will be based on the DN8 model and produced at Hyundai’s Beijing plant for import. This year, 9,009 Sonata taxis were sold, making up 26% of the total Sonata sales (34,476 units).
It is not only possible to operate a taxi with exclusive models. Regular passenger cars can also be purchased and used as taxis. A representative model of this is the Kia Sportage LPG. According to Kaizhu, with the discontinuation of the Sonata taxi, the Sportage LPG model is thriving in taxi sales, recording 2,112 units sold this year.
The Torres EVX model from KG Mobility has started being used as a taxi, and while the numbers are still modest, luxury brands are also entering the taxi market with electric vehicles, with Genesis (6 units), Mercedes-Benz (4 units), and BMW (2 units) registered as taxis.
Moreover, there is continuous demand among corporate taxi operators for the domestic introduction of the BYD E6, leading to significant interest in how BYD Korea will direct its product launch.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr