► Part of Kia’s second wave of electric vehicles
► An interesting-looking electric saloon
► EV4 is smaller than the Ioniq 6
You’re looking at a prototype of Kia’s EV4 electric car, spotted by our spy photographers ahead of its official release next year. Snapped in hatchback and saloon form, the EV4 will push the boundaries of Kia’s already sci-fi influenced styling even further.
You can see pictures of the concept car – revealed last year, below – and even with the camouflage, these pictures hint at a production car that’s closely related to the concept. The only real difference appears to be a slightly lower ride height – even the wheels follow the broad-brush strokes of the concept.
Expect inside to change more than the futuristic interior shown below.
Very little is known about the EV4 beyond the concept details below, but we’re expecting customers to be able to choose between rear- or all-wheel-drive, and a 800V system.
Keep reading for more on the concept.
The EV4 concept revealed
The first electric vehicle from Kia that’s not an SUV of some kind, the four-door EV4 represents a new chapter for the brand’s electric range. And although it’s just a concept at the time of writing, it’ll almost certainly make it to production.
As explained at the company’s EV day, Kia will introduce smaller EVs ranging from $35,000 to $50,000 as it looks to expand its footprint across the electric car market. This will be one of them.
What is it?
It’s not an SUV, that’s for sure: the EV4 is the first electric saloon from Kia, but the second on the Hyundai Motor Group’s e-GMP platform. It follows the streamlined Ioniq 6 in that regard.
Kia says the look of the EV4 is driven by the brand’s new ‘Power to Progress’ and ‘Opposites Untied’s styling mantras. While we’re not entirely sure what that means in Kia speak, but in reality, it translates to a dynamic looking EV, with a low nose, roof spoiler and long-tail silhouette. Much like the Ioniq 5 from Kia’s sister-brand Hyundai, the EV4 is doing something different with the basic four-door.
Like the rest of the Kia range, the EV4 uses a futuristic headlight signature – this time with each light unit pushed right to each edge of the front bumper. It’s a strong contrast to Hyundai’s sci-fi spin on the e-GMP platform.
What about inside?
Inside, Kia’s interior designers have taken advantage of the extra cabin space afforded from an EV powertrain, so the EV4 benefits from a spacious cabin packed with tech. The aim here is to keep the driver informed but not distracted, so the A/C panel can be hidden when not in use, while twin digital screens and a slim instrumental panel give the driver only the most important information.
A Mind Mode features also adjusts ambient lighting depending on the situation. For example, ‘perform’ removes information not useful for driving, while ‘serenity’ uses additional digital graphics to create a relaxed atmosphere.
Will it make it to production?
The Hyundai Motor Group has a particularly good hit rate when it comes to pushing concepts through to production, and the EV4 prototypes confirm we’ll see it on the road soon enough.