Electric cars came timidly to Argentina, despite the fiscal benefits that the Government had in 2017 for the automakers that manufacture locally.These companies could enter this type of vehicle with an exemption from extrazone tax (amounting to 35%). But the measure left out those who do not have plants in the country, despite the fact that the quota of electric cars was not completed by the companies reached for the benefit.Faced with this situation, the Executive signed Decree 230/2019 to repeal regulations (Article 4 of Decree 331/17), which set the customs tariff for electric cars in 2% and hybrids in 5% instead of 35 %, but only for the "automotive authorized to operate as a terminal".The decision was very well received by the nucleated firms in the Chamber of Importers and Official Distributors of Argentina (CIDOA) and opened the game so that brands such as BMW, Volvo, Hyundai, Kia and Jaguar, among others, are enabled to introduce their models in Argentina. So much so that they already put first and they are accelerating this process."The Argentine automotive market will have a greater supply, which will allow consumers to access electric and hybrid cars with the latest technology, safety and quality standards at prices more aligned with international values ââand a perspective of constant modernization," they say. from the entity to iProUP.- Federico Mayora Viñoly, representative of Geely- Serafín Álvarez Tato, from Chery, DFSK and JAC- Hugo Belcastro, from Alfa Romeo, Isuzu, BAIC and Foton- and Ernesto Cavicchioli, of HyundaiThey affirm that, with this decree, Argentina encourages the supply of vehicles with the new technologies, as are other countries that have already established deadlines for the manufacture of gas and diesel cars.The objective: to stimulate the production and commercialization of hybrids or electric that are more friendly to the environment and also more economical maintenance.The current contextFor CIDOA, the arrival of these models has the customer as its main beneficiary, since it will be able to choose from a much wider offer."Of the multiple options of environmentally friendly vehicles in the world, Argentina closed and only encouraged the entry of a few, decreasing competition and affecting the most fragile and important link in the chain, which is the consumer" explains Cavicchioli.The Hyundai executive contributes data that supports his sayings: "Of the quota of 3,500 units offered in the last seven quarters, only 1,021 were requested, representing only 29%."The same point from Kia: "The differentiation between the terminals with factories based in the country and the rest of the importers did not make much sense in this case, taking into account that it is a very specific market that must be promoted and developed and that, in the last 2 years, not even half of the quota granted by the Government was reached. "From the company add that "putting all companies on equal terms will generate greater competitiveness, an increase in supply and, therefore, a more rapid development of sustainable mobility in the country."On the other hand, they indicate that this segment is still small because the public has not yet fully understood all the benefits that this technology brings, and they trust that only its greatest popularity will be only a matter of time.There are several brands that showed their interest in selling electric cars in Argentina. In addition to Hyundai and Kia, the German BMW, like Volvo and Jaguar, are willing to quickly add new models to the country.Alexander Wehr, president and CEO of BMW Group Latin America and Rolf Epp, president and CEO of BMW Group Argentina, explained to iProUP that the vehicles based on these new technologies are a challenge for the group and that they are already present in several countries of the region and, of course, they will also be present in the domestic market."In Mexico, the sale of electric SUVs represents 8% of the total models commercialized within the segment," says Wehr. The company also already sells products with this type in Chile, Colombia, Brazil and Panama."BMW is leaving a good footprint in electromobility in the region, in Brazil we have an electric corridor between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro with high-speed loaders, for example, in the case of the i3, in 25 minutes the 80 is completed % of the load ", emphasizes the manager.As for the disembarkation in Argentina with hybrid or electric cars, from BMW they indicate that governmental policies are needed, such as the one that they have just applied with the tax and other additional advantages."For example, in Mexico there is a second floor on the highways to circulate due to the high traffic saturation, to access you have to pay, in the case of electric cars, you can use it for free, this is a good way to give incentives" commented the BMW leader.From the brand highlight that by 2025 all models will have an electric version. By virtue of this, it is very important to see which are the strategic markets in which they must maintain presence, being Latin America one of them.Also from the importing group of brands Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover show their optimism with Argentina."We are very excited about the new measure, as the brands we commercialize are at the forefront of new technologies," Francisco Beveraggi, head of marketing at Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover, told iProUP."In a first stage we will start with the hybrids, we are defining the models and versions," he adds.On the waiting listAfter the decree, there are several models that are on the waiting list to be marketed in the country. In the case of Hyundai, options include the Ioniq, a hybrid car; and the Kona, Electric.In the case of the South Korean brand, the Ioniq opened its range of vehicles based on new technologies, and was created from scratch for the use of alternative engines, with a compact aerodynamic body and room for batteries. The difference compared to other similar models is that the Ioniq is available in three versions: with a hybrid engine of 141 hp, a plug-in hybrid of also 141 hp or a 100% electric 120 hp.The first is the best rival of the Toyota Prius so far. It is more functional, cheaper and has a double clutch transmission (DCT) that offers a good driving feeling.The Kona is Hyundai's first 100% electric SUV. It arrives at the market with the confidence that confers it to be the second version of one of the most sold all-terrain vehicles of the moment.It moves thanks to an electric motor available in two configurations that, in turn, allow to choose between two ranges of power and autonomy:- A version of 39.2 kWh, with a maximum speed of 155 km / h and a range of 289 km- Another 64 kWh that reaches a top speed of 167 km / h and can travel up to 449 km with a single loadIn the case of the German BMW, its line developed under the letter "i", especially has the i3 as a reference.Initiated its commercialization in 2014, the BMW i3 marked the debut of the brand in the electric segment: it is equipped with a battery that reaches 260 km per hour.Both the i3 and Ioniq were awarded five stars in the first wave of Green NCAP sustainability tests, in which the characteristics of 12 vehicles have been evaluated.In the case of Kia, the Soul is the first in the catalog to be marketed in the country. It has already been tested in Argentina and has just been presented worldwide.For its part, Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover have a long list of products in the portfolio for sale in the country.In the case of Volvo, the company aims to have half of its sales of electrical units in no more than six years. The Swedish firm has been working on this plan for a long time and during 2019 it will present the first zero emissions vehicle with its logo on the front.This is the Volvo XC40 electric, a compact SUV that is one of the safest in the world, currently marketed with a traditional engine.Jaguar has the I-Pace as a 100% electric proposal, with 480 km of autonomy, which is part of the luxury SUV segment and is shaping up as the first real alternative of a traditional car manufacturer to the Tesla Model X.This model has 400 HP and an acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in 4.8 seconds. The car of the year was chosen in Europe.ChallengesFor electric car manufacturers there are several issues to consider when defining which models to market in the country and the measures that should be encouraged to win the customer.From the sector, three pillars are proposed to coordinate to promote the market:- Industry: companies must invest to have increasingly accessible products with better technologies. Added to this are increasingly shorter deadlines to electrify all models- Government: must encourage with a battery of measures, ranging from the price to the search for solutions in terms of chargers, infrastructure, among many others, in order to facilitate the use of these vehicles- Clients: they should be trained in technology, its use and benefits. Based on that, the demand will increase"When the three pillars are combined and the technology appears, aligned with the volume, the conditions will be given to market these cars, and it is also important to improve the energy matrix, because it does not make sense to use a lot of coal to generate light, which is pollutant, if there are solar panels and many cleaner ways of doing it ", added Epp.The automakers that started with big plans at the global level, are preparing to bring their sustainable vehicles to Argentina. They know that, because of the crisis, timing is not ideal. But at some point you had to turn the key to start the electrical revolution.