Kia Ev3 News

Kia’s most affordable electric car yet will launch on May 23rd but thanks to CarWale we get an early glimpse of the small SUV. Based on a front-drive version of Kia and Hyundai’s 'E-GMP' architecture, the South Korean EV3 will sit below the soon-to-launch EV5 and target affordable Chinese-made electric cars such as the BYD Atto 3 and MG ZS EV. No further details have been confirmed but the futuristic-looking EV3 has been revealed with Kia’s familiar closed off front ‘mask’, futuristic alloy wheel designs and airy cabin architecture. Compared to the EV3 concept unveiled last year its body lines have become a little more conventional in production form but this is still a distinctive small SUV. From the rear three-quarter angle the pinched quarter window/piano black detail and tailgate shape have shades of BMW’s 2014 i3 hatch. Flush, almost imperceptible door handles from the EV9 appear to be on the flanks. LED lighting details blend into the body seams of the EV3 for a crisp look. Measuring 4.3 metres long, the EV3 is roughly Kia Seltos sized. The cabin has a familiar layout to Kia’s other E-GMP products and Hyundai’s Kona electric. The twin screens are incorporated into a single tablet while the software is very reminiscent of the EV9’s. There’s a new three-spoke steering wheel with a grey airbag cover that looks handsome. A tall centre storage cubby doubles as an armrest and it looks like there will be wireless charging and some physical shortcut buttons. CarWale suggests there will only be two trim levels: standard and GT-Line (pictured). Expect variance in battery pack to hit price points. Powertrain details are unconfirmed, though like the EV5 the EV3 will use a 400-volt version of the E-GMP architecture limiting charging speed and power compared to the EV6 and EV9. China-built EV5s coming to Australia will use a 150kW motor in front-drive configuration allied with a 64.2kWh LFP battery. A similar set-up for flagship EV3 variants could be possible, while Kia could also offer a lower trim level with 112kW motor at circa 45kWh battery rumoured overseas.That would equate to driving ranges between 350-km and 500km, about right for this style of vehicle. An all-wheel drive EV3 is unlikely. Pricing is a long way from being confirmed but don’t expect Kia to get stuck into the bloody price war at the lower end. Product planning boss Roland Rivero has previously told CarsGuide the brand doesn’t plan to dip below $40K. “If you’re developing your brand – and we’ve put a lot of work into that – and getting great product, if you can easily translate that to the customer that this is still great value, like the EV9, then do you really want to play in the puddle that is $30,000, or $25,000?"You just need to make those decisions if you want to play in that price point. If you can stay at $40K-$50K, $50K-$60K, and there’s still value, that’s what we’re looking at,” he said. Hyundai recently registered an ‘Ioniq 3’ trademark locally suggesting it could play in a similar area to Kia’s EV3 and EV5 models.Kia is expected to follow up the EV3 – which will sit below the EV5 and EV6 – with an EV4 sedan. More details to come at the EV3’s full reveal next Thursday, May 23rd. 

Kia has shown the first teaser images of its production EV3 electric small SUV ahead of its full release later this month. As the brand’s electric price leader, the new EV3 will start below the EV5 with Kia promising it will “enhance the accessibility of electric mobility from Kia.” Cheap enough to battle Chinese-made EVs? We’ll have to wait and see. The teasers show details of the EV3’s ‘Signature Star Map’ lighting at the front and back which are almost entirely unchanged from the concept. It appears to have slightly less pronounced flares for the wheel arches but they are still angular and dramatic. Like the concept, the teaser images show the car in a desaturated metallic mint colour we hope will make production to set off the ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy.Kia did not share any further images of the cabin, which is likely to be the most different aspect in the production car. Still, expect eco-friendly materials and plenty of recycled plastics. An onboard generative AI chat system will also feature – a first for the brand. At its reveal in October 2023, Kia was targeting a US$35K start price – around A$54,000. With the EV5 being produced for Australia in China, CarsGuide has estimated the EV5 could start from as little as $57,000. If Kia wants to give the EV3 space to play, a start price below $50K for a base model, perhaps fitted with an LFP battery and around 350km driving range, will be crucial to compete with the BYD Atto 3, MG ZS EV and Hyundai Kona electric. Speaking to CarsGuide in November last year, product planning boss Roland Rivero cautioned Kia won’t cheapen its brand by engaging in price wears. “But if you’re developing your brand – and we’ve put a lot of work into that – and getting great product, if you can easily translate that to the customer that this is still great value, like the EV9, then do you really want to play in the puddle that is $30,000, or $25,000?"You just need to make those decisions if you want to play in that price point. If you can stay at $40k-$50k, $50k-$60k, and there’s still value, that’s what we’re looking at”, said Rivero. Details of powertrain, battery chemistry, driving range and Australian confirmation are all yet to be shared. Kia will reveal the final look and more detailed information of its new electric small SUV at 8:00pm on 23 May.

Here is our list of the top SUVs, utes and EVs that people expect to see in Australia in 2024, but in fact won't be here until 2025!

Kia has no interest in entering into the battle to deliver Australia's cheapest electric vehicle, instead vowing to deliver value to its customers, no matter the sticker price on its vehicles.Australia's three cheapest electric vehicles are all from Chinese brands – the MG4, BYD Dolphin and GWM Ora – and all list at a hyper-competitive sub-$40k starting price for their entry-level models.It's a price point that, so far, is yet to be matched by Australia's more established models. And it's a battle that Kia in Australia will look to avoid, suggesting its days of challenger-brand battles are long behind it.Instead, Kia says its name recognition, brand values and legacy in Australia will combine to create value for consumers."We will always compete,” says Kia Australia CEO, Damien Meredith.“But if you’re developing your brand – and we’ve put a lot of work into that – and getting great product, if you can easily translate that to the customer that this is still great value, like the EV9, then do you really want to play in the puddle that is $30,000, or $25,000?"You just need to make those decisions if you want to play in that price point. If you can stay at $40k-$50k, $50k-$60k, and there’s still value, that’s what we’re looking at."If something becomes available, like a smaller EV that’s $40k, we’ll have our hand up for it. But you need to be cautious. We’ve worked hard on getting our brand up, and you need to keep looking at that."Kia's EV portfolio currently spans three vehicles, the Niro, the EV6 and EV9. A Chinese-manufactured EV5 will launch in Australia next year, bringing the brand's tally in Australia to four.But with a plan to launch an electric vehicle at least per year, and a lot of numbers below '5', Kia insists it isn't leaving the affordable market behind, while making the distinction that value doesn't mean cheap.At a recent EV Day, the brand unveiled the EV4 and EV3, which will further lower the cost of entry to a Kia electric vehicle."Kia Australia is heavily invested in the global strategy, and we’ve got out hand up for as many (EVs) as we can get our hands on," says the brand's product planning boss, Roland Rivero.

Recycled materials are one thing, but Kia wants to grow its next-generation interiors from mushrooms.

Speaking to the media at the reveal of the EV5, EV3, and EV4, Kia’s head of global design, Karim Habib explained how the brand is able to keep its cars so close to their concepts, and why Kia is willing to take risks with its designs.On the topic of the brand’s latest and more extreme futuristic design direction, Habib said: “There are a lot of very good designers, but if you have good designers and you’re not listened to, you can’t get much through. We have a CEO that really listens to what we have to say, and a chairman who really believes in design. He’s a patron of the arts and believes in our ideas.“Our voice carries a certain meaning, not just in terms of styling, but in terms of strategy, which is super gratifying as a designer.”Of course, there are concept cars with wild ideas, and then there are ones which reflect the production car, the latter of which seems to be more Kia’s speed of late. It’s a trend which should mean the latest concept versions of the EV3 small SUV and EV4 crossover sedan which were shown alongside the production version of the EV5 won’t be far from the reality when the production versions of each break cover in 2024 and 2025 respectively.On the topic, Habib explained: “I also believe it’s our responsibility as designers to have a certain discipline when we do concept cars because I don’t want to promise something we can’t build.“Of course, it has to be a prototype, it has to test the things we’re talking about when it comes to materials or proportions, or we’re not using the tool the way we should, but it should be something we believe we can or we should build.”The EV5 and smaller EV3 seem to continue to build on the boxy forward-thinking design cues of the EV9 large SUV, while the EV4 seems to follow the same swoopy, sporty design language seen on the EV6.While the exteriors appear loud and tech-focused, the interiors move more toward natural hues and the use of sustainably sourced materials, and are designed as more open, serene places. It’s all part of the brand’s guiding ‘opposites unite’ principle, which Habib says is designed to be flexible, so Kias can be many things in many markets and segments.When asked if he sees a world where the brand’s entire range can be united under the design language seen on EV9, EV5, and EV3, Habib said “that should be the intention.”“We definitely set up this ‘opposites unite’ so that it allows for a bandwidth of interpretation, because we have very different models, from small to large cars, for very different markets. Also, the brand has slightly different identities in the different markets, and we want the design philosophy to be able to adapt to that.”“Consistency is important, but each model needs its own personality.”When asked if the brand’s combustion range would need to be winding down before a consistent design vision can be achieved, Habib said it's not necessary to wait.“I think we can have certain things which are in-sync with the EVs. Definitely when it comes to exterior design and certain features, interpretations, and motifs, lighting signatures. When it comes to proportions that becomes a little more difficult, because there’s the basics of having the engine and so on which makes it difficult for .“When it comes to interior design, there’s more roominess, the flat floor, the disconnect between the dashboard and the console - that’s something which is much easier on EVs. With combustion cars you have the tunnel which creates a challenge.” he said.Of the three vehicles shown at the Kia EV day event outside of Seoul, the EV4 was certainly the most unusual, what the brand calls a re-interpretation of the sedan. Elaborating on this strategy to create such an unconventional, and potentially risky vehicle, seemingly as a follow-up to the unusual (but well received) EV6 Kia's head of next vehicle design, TK Kim said: "with EV4 we felt being safe is more risky these days - opening up to a new chapter of mobility - it’s not just EVs but innovation comes with technologies together - when you have new technologies we need to create new things rather than stay traditional."While we're on the topic of extreme designs, you’re probably wondering when we’ll ever see the so-called ‘Tasman’ ute - a first for the brand - which has been in the works at Kia for a very long time, and which could pose a unique challenge to the brand's stylists as it takes Kia in an entirely new direction.When asked about this long-speculated-upon model, Habib only said; “I think you’ll get a peek pretty soon.”

The Kia EV3 is set to be a more affordable small SUV model which underpins the brand's electric volume plans.