Kia is working on a new electric sedan and hatchback which are likely to become some of the brand’s most affordable electric vehicles (EVs).
After previewing the upcoming EV4 in concept form as a sedan last year, Kia has now been spied testing a more practical hatchback version.
That will give the brand a small/medium electric hatch and sedan to complement the upcoming combustion-powered K4 sedan and hatch, which replace the Cerato.
The EV4 hatch cuts a similar silhouette to the K4 hatch, though the more sloped front end and that wild triangular wheel design mark this prototype out as the former and not the latter.
The concept’s interior, while appearing quite concept car-like on the surface, has elements we can expect to see on the production vehicle.
This includes a digital instrument cluster and infotainment touchscreen in one assembly, as well as a minimalist centre stack.
The centre console has two levels, with the lower of the two effectively serving as a large, open, floor-level tray. It’s a similar setup to that employed in the larger EV9.
Kia didn’t release any technical details when it revealed the EV4 concept last year.
The EV3 SUV, which has subsequently been revealed in production form ahead of a local launch in the first quarter of 2025, uses a front-wheel drive version of Kia’s E-GMP platform with a dual-motor all-wheel drive version also in the works.
EV4 concept
The front-wheel drive Standard Range and Long Range models use a front-mounted electric motor with 150kW of power and 283Nm of torque.
The former has a 58.3kWh battery, while the latter has an 81.4kWh battery. All models have a 400V electrical architecture.
Kia claims the EV3 will offer best-in-class electric range of up to 600km in Long Range guise on the WLTP cycle.
It’s possible the EV4 could pip it given its lower, sleeker silhouette.
The EV3 debuts the latest version of Kia’s regenerative braking technology, called i-Pedal 3.0.
As with other Kia EVs, it also features Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) capability, allowing you to power small appliances and the like.
The production EV3 closely resembles the EV3 concept revealed last year, though there are some detail changes like revised headlight internals and the addition of actual (flush-mounted) door handles.
We can therefore expect the EV4 to also closely resemble its concept.
It’s unclear what price point it’ll be sold at, given Kia has yet to confirm pricing for the EV3 and larger EV5 crossovers in Australia.
It may well be more expensive than cut-price Chinese electric hatches like the MG 4, BYD Dolphin and GWM Ora, which all start at under $40,000 in Australia, and instead take on the Tesla Model 3 and BYD Seal which open at the $50-55,000 mark.
