The KIA EV4 will be the Korean rival of the Toyota bZ4x, Volkswagen ID.4, and company. It will be presented at the end of 2023 to start its sales next year.
KIA will continue to expand its range of electric cars in 2023 with the introduction of three new models. Officially we already know two of them will be SUVs, among which is the KIA EV9, while nothing is yet firmly known about the other. However, based on the previous advances, the launches planned by the Korean firm, and how it is articulating the structure of its offer, the remaining model will foreseeably be the KIA EV4, a more affordable electric SUV than the EV6 and EV9, although not therefore cheap in absolute terms.
And it is that it is a matter of time before KIA is forced to cover the space that will remain between the existing e-Niro and the future EV9 since these are two very different cut models. While the first is committed to a compact format limited to 4.42 meters long for urban use, the second will be a 5-meter long SUV that will even offer space for 7 occupants..
This difference of almost 60 centimeters between the two models, therefore, leaves a gap between them uncovered that will have to be covered if the brand does not want to lose ground concerning other manufacturers. And that’s where the EV4 comes into play. It is true that by measurements the EV6 is between the two, but since it was the first electric of the new generation to be launched, it is designed to cover as many categories as possible. For this reason, it was defined by KIA itself as a “segment destroyer”.
Considering the models that are currently around 4.60 meters in length, the KIA EV4 will be, by definition, an electric D-SUV. Based on this, it will compete commercially with models such as the Toyota bZ4x, Volkswagen ID.4, and Nissan Ariya, among others, which means having to assimilate a starting price in line with that of these vehicles, which starts from between 45,000 euros and 50,000 euros. In Top Electric SUV, however, they point out that it will be aimed at competing directly with the Volvo XC40 Recharge and Mercedes-Benz EQA, although taking into account that the KIA Niro already has very similar measures to these, it does not seem likely. finally, be so.
Technically, the base on which KIA will bet to support the electrical scheme of the EV4 will be the well-known e-GMP, a technological platform with a nominal voltage of 800 V. Electric cars such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the KIA EV6, or the recently presented Ioniq 6 achieve range of up to 600 kilometers in the 77.4 kWh battery version, while in terms of charging power this structure offers the power of up to 350 kW.
As for the design of the EV4, we already have an official clue of how the brand has chosen to shape it. To differentiate it as much as possible from both the KIA EV6 and the e-Niro, which will be the models closest to the EV4 in the range, KIA has opted to give it proportions of a true SUV, similar to those of the future production EV9 and the KIA. Current Sportage, which will be the equivalent of the EV4 in the thermal and hybrid series.
KIA will officially present the EV9 during the first half of the year (perhaps even during the first quarter) so that its commercial premiere occurs at the end of 2023. For this reason, it is expected that the KIA EV4 will be released during the last quarter, either final or conceptual, to step on the streets during 2024.
