Entry-level car in Kia’s bespoke EV line-up will maintain bold styling of concept; is tipped to cost less than £30k
The Kia EV3, the firm’s smallest bespoke electric car yet, will be revealed later this month – and it has been previewed with a number of teaser images.
The new compact electric SUV will first shown in concept form last year, and the production version will be revealed on 23 May.
The three teaser images release suggest that Kia design chief Karim Habib was true to his word when he said the production car would closely mirror that concept.
The images confirm that the EV3 will feature boxy, angular lines that are reminiscent of the flagship EV9 that sits atop Kia’s growing range of bespoke EVs.
They also confirm that, as highlighted by the concept (pictured bottom), the wheels will be pushed towards the corners to extend the wheelbase and maximise interior space.
The images focus on the front and rear lights, showcasing that the EV3 will closely follow the concept and adopt Kia’s Star Map lighting, along with a new interpretation of its Tiger Face front end.
While the large EV9 has a more premium focus, the EV3 is designed to “enhance the accessibility of electric mobility”, and Kia has been aiming for entry level models to be priced at less than £30,000.
The new model will sit alongside the Niro EV, which uses a multi-powertrain platform, and will serve as an indirect replacement for the Soul EV.
Unlike those models, the EV3 will use the Hyundai Motor Group’s bespoke electric E-GMP platform, which should enable it to be offered with a range of powertrains and battery sizes. As a result, front-driven entry-level models would be expected to offer 215bhp.
The EV3 is likely to use the version of the E-GMP platform previously confirmed for the EV5, a Volkswagen ID 4 rival that’s due to arrive in the UK next year and has already been shown in production form.
The platform uses a 400V electrical architecture, compared with the 800V architecture on the EV6 and EV9, which means that charging speeds will be slower but will help to reduce the costs.
