Theo Austin
The wave of new plug-in hybrid models landing in Ireland would make you think we’re already done with diesel. Yet the dinosaur juice still accounts for 44 percent of new car sales. Electric cars make up 3.6 percent, while plug-in hybrids make up just over 2 percent.
It’s worth remembering this when you hear the constant charge of motoring ads about clean, green, electric cars. The Government may be dedicated to a 2030 ban and car companies want to showcase their environmental awareness, but Irish people are buying diesel.
So does that make all this talk of plug-in power irrelevant to the rest of the 2 million Irish motorists who rarely buy new? Not at all, because the new cars coming on our roads right now are the used car fleet the rest of the market will be buying in the years to come.
At some stage, these fossil-fuel loyalists will transition to the plug and for many, the best stepping stone may be a plug-in hybrid. Range anxiety was all the rage in the electric car debate in recent years, but now the biggest hurdle seems to be the public charging network and the list prices. Fully electric cars aren’t cheap. And for most car companies, they’re not profitable either. So just as motorists aren’t eager to see their current car sent to the scrapyard with little or no return on its price, the same view is held by those that make them. Even the car companies are eager for evolution rather than revolution. It’s the only way most of them will survive.
Kia shares the same underpinnings and the massive resources of the Hyundai conglomerate, but thanks to a decision many years ago to focus as much on form as function, the end result is a fleet of gorgeous looking cars.
Much of the credit lies with its design centers in the US and Germany, which have persuaded the bosses to adopt more muscular and eye-catching looks that fit the tastes of European and American buyers. Contrast with the blander, more conservative styling of Hyundai and you see where the two brands more clearly diverge.
The €29,000 price point puts it right in the mix against regular hybrid rivals, coming in at a lower price point than the Hyundai Kona hybrid or Toyota’s CH-R. With the plug-in option and the chance to run it completely on electric for a realistic 30km or so, that makes it a very tempting proposition. Combine this with the stylish exterior looks and the XCeed starts to nose out in front. The cabin lacks the premium feel of the CH-R, but the XCeed is still generously equipped with 18-inch alloys, dual-zone auto aircon, 8-inch Android Auto/Apple Car Play touchscreen, rear privacy glass, rain sensors, lane keep assist, and forward collision avoidance.
This is the first plug-in hybrid in the Ceed range, but it will feature in the hatchback and sleek Proceed in the near future. Kia has some great looking cars in its mix these days and the XCeed is a great addition to this portfolio. Adding a plug to the mix only makes its sales pitch stronger.
