Kia's new electric car double act? Tesla Model 3 and BYD Seal rivalling 2025 EV4 could bring a sedan and hatchback version to upset key competitors: Report

Could Kia be preparing a new electric car double act?

Recent spy shots by ShortsCar in South Korea have snapped what could be a hatch version of the coming EV4 sedan.

Much of the car is camouflaged but it appears to match the appearance of previous EV4 spy shots except for the mysterious rear end.

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Kia has found great success offering a small hatch and sedan body type in its Cerato line-up and could be preparing to do the same with the all-electric EV4.

The differing body types make sense for a global vehicle such as the EV4. Sedans are dominant in Korea, China and the US but European and Australian drivers prefer hatchbacks over their four-door equivalents.

Kia’s electric car naming structure appears to be keeping the odd numbers for SUVs and the even numbers for more conventional passenger cars — though the EV6 blurs the lines between SUV and sedan with its liftback/hatchback profile.

The EV4 is expected to be a similar size to the uber popular Tesla Model 3 and BYD Seal, but the option of two body styles could give it the edge over its established rivals.

The EV4 is expected to be built on the company’s flexible e-GMP platform that underpins a variety of electric cars.

Kia EV4 prototype. (Source: ShortsCar)

It is likely the EV4 will share much of its DNA with the coming EV3 small electric SUV.

That means buyers can expect a single electric motor making 150kW and 283Nm, a choice of either a 58.3kWh and 81.4kWh battery with the bigger pack giving a driving range of more than 600km.

Prices should start at below $50,000 if the EV3 price guide is anything to go by.

Charging won't be as speedy as the bigger, more expensive models as it forgoes the 800-volt charging architecture in favour of a 400-volt set-up.

Kia EV4 render (Source: NYMammoth)

This means the 350kW maximum rate of Kia’s other vehicles is unlikely. The company said the EV3 can replenish the batteries from 10 to 80 per cent in 31 minutes, which would put the charge rate at about 120kW, so expect similar juice intake.

Kia is likely to bring a dual-motor version that would wear the GT badge.

If it follows the same formula as the larger EV6 GT it could more than double the performance of the front-wheel drive model.

This would put it at more than 300kW and 500Nm.

Expect any GT version to be in excess of $70,000 when it arrives on local roads.