During the “Kia Sustainability Movement” presentation, the South Korean automaker pledged for carbon neutrality by 2045 and gave us more hints for its future EV range that will include 11 models by 2026. Reading between the lines and combining information from the previous teasers from September 2020 and from January 2021, we will try to guess the upcoming vehicles from their shadowy silhouettes. Kia will become an electric-only automaker in Europe by 2035 with other key global markets following by 2040. Thus, the automaker’s electric range that currently consists of the EV6 and the Niro EV – which will get a successor in 2022 – has to grow quickly in order to cover the whole spectrum of segments.
This teaser was published in September
2020 showing seven of Kia’s upcoming dedicated EVs that should hit the market
by 2027. We tried to guess the names of those models using the information we
have to date. Last year, Kia confirmed that the E-GMP architecture will
underpin seven dedicated EVs by 2027, together with a teaser image showing the
aforementioned vehicles. Then, during the “Investor Day” last February, Kia’s
CEO Ho Sung Song revealed the EV product plan including a single debut in 2021,
another one in 2022, three in 2023, two in 2024, and another three in
2025-2026.
The first dedicated electric model was the
EV6 that was unveiled earlier this year with a hatchback bodystyle and a
generous footprint. We already know that the second model will be the
production version of the EV9 Concept large SUV serving as the flagship of the
range. As for the rest, we can probably guess the EV7 and EV8 SUVs that seem to
inherit similar design features with the EV9, including the pronounced fenders,
blacked-out pillars, and panoramic sunroof. What remains a mystery is the names
of the models with more aerodynamic silhouettes and sexier rooflines. They
appear to be a couple of four-door sedans that could rival the likes of the
Tesla Model 3 and Model S. The larger of the two could also work as an indirect
electric replacement for the Stinger which will be phased out.
Another interesting model is a sporty
hatchback positioning itself below the EV6 with an aerodynamic low-riding body
and a sculpted bonnet. This could work as a rival to the VW ID.3 and eventually
become the electric successor to the Ceed / Forte / Cerato in the C-Segment.
Setting aside the electric sedans, hatchbacks, and SUVs which seem like an
obvious choice for any automaker, Kia has also teased some more unusual
vehicles. Among them, we can see a shuttle with one-box proportions, large
glass surfaces, and covered wheels, a bus-like vehicle that could be an RV, and
a compact city car with a rather tall body.
We already know that one of the 11 EVs
will be an electric variant of the upcoming commercial vehicle sharing its
platform with its ICE-powered sibling instead of using the dedicated E-GMP
architecture. ICE-derived platforms will also be used by the new-generation Kia
Niro, an unnamed passenger car, and another SUV. Finally, besides the BEVs, Kia
is developing hydrogen fuel-cell technology that will reach the market by 2028
after being tested in military vehicles.
