A competitor to the Ford Explorer: Kia to launch EV4 electric hatchback

Very soon, the mass electrification of the car market will also affect the hatchback line from the South Korean car brand Kia. The company is preparing a competitor for the Volkswagen ID 3 and has already begun testing it.

According to Autocar, the model, called EV4, was recently spotted on the test track of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit. This may indicate that the car will soon appear in Kia showrooms. Despite the fact that the car was heavily camouflaged, journalists noticed that its silhouette was clearly different from the prototype presented earlier. So the sloping rear end was eventually replaced with sharply defined outlines. However, the car could hardly be called a station wagon, even given the new profile. This is also due to the fact that the rear end is shorter than the prototype.

The styling of the EV4 concept remains unchanged. It received column-shaped headlights mounted on both sides of its "nose" - something similar can be seen on the EV9 model. The car also gets a somewhat unusual hood. Such aerodynamic characteristics were a key part of the EV4 design specification.

The production car will be based on the E-GMP platform, which is used by Kia's existing EVs, EV3, EV6, and EV9, as well as various Hyundai models. Given that the new product will be at the bottom of this line, it is expected to have powertrains similar to the EV3 subcompact crossover.

The upcoming Kia EV4 is positioned as an electric competitor to the Volkswagen Golf. It is currently only available with a 201 hp engine mounted on the front axle. An all-wheel-drive GT model is also currently under development with a 194 hp engine in the front and a 101 hp unit on the rear axle. Two batteries are available for the new model, with the basic 58 kWh option providing a range of 430 km. The more expensive 81 kWh package increases this to an impressive 600 km, although these figures are likely to be slightly lower in the larger EV4 model.

The EV4 is expected to be positioned as an electric alternative to models such as the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. It will be shorter than the 4.6-meter-long EV5 SUV, but will use the layout possibilities offered by electric vehicles to compete for interior space with much larger internal combustion engine sedans.

To this end, the production-ready EV4 must retain the minimalist interior layout of the concept. That one was equipped with a single touchscreen that served as a dashboard and infotainment system at the same time. Like the EV3, it will have physical buttons for important functions such as climate control and multimedia.

Production of the new Kia EV4 will begin in Slovakia next year, and the first models are expected to arrive in the brand's showrooms in 2026. The price of the model is expected to start at UAH 2 million.

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