Few carmakers are working on as many intriguing EVs as Kia, and one of the Korean marque’s most enticing new products will be the upcoming EV4. Set to be sold in hatchback and sedan guises, the new model will compete with EVs like the MG4 in hatchback form and the BYD Seal and Tesla Model 3 in its sedan bodystyle. Kia provided the world with a peek at the EV4 in concept form last October. That car was a sedan and it was widely assumed it would be the only body style on offer. However, in early August, our own spy photographers snapped an EV4 hatchback testing under thick camouflage and body cladding. This version has been spotted yet again, albeit this time it hit the Nurburgring.
Much has been said about Kia’s current
design philosophy. Some love it, some hate it, and others are confused by it.
What cannot be denied is that it’s bold and the EV4 will sit nicely into the
range alongside the smaller EV3 as well as the larger EV5, EV6, and EV9 models.
Like those cars, the front end will be characterized by striking headlights
with LED DRLs and a short overhang.
The side cladding of other recent EV4
prototypes has been peeled back, revealing the flush door handles and angular
side windows. The wild black and silver wheels of the concept appear to have
made it through to production. Kia’s engineers have done their darnedest to
hide the rear fascia of the prototype, but the production model will inevitably
have LED taillights similar to those of the EV4 sedan concept, altered to
better suit the shape of a hatchback.
Underpinning the new model will be the
familiar E-GMP architecture used by several Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis EVs. Like
the EV3, the EV4 may be sold with 58.3 kWh and 81.4 kWh battery packs, with
base models capped at 201 hp and more potent dual-motor versions sitting higher
in the lineup. A performance-focused GT is expected and should give the MG4
XPower a run for its money.
