Kia calls its first model developed as a purely electric car ‘EV6’. It is the start of a series of new models and one of the first additions is the EV4.
Within the Hyundai Motor Company, Hyundai and Kia have an interesting relationship. As group members, they are of course not real competitors, but we do detect some rivalry here and there. Unlike, for example, the Volkswagen Group and increasingly Stellantis, it seems that the aim is not to spread as many parts as possible over as many models as possible. The cars share a technical basis and of course the engines, but very rarely a body or interior. Even in the smallest segment, where other manufacturers desperately cling to each other, the Hyundai i10 and Kia Picanto are two completely separate models. It doesn’t look like electrification is going to end that policy. After the successful and simply very good Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia e-Niro and Kia e-Soul, the Koreans recently launched their first ‘dedicated’ EV platform on the market. The first product on that E-GMP basis is called the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia has the EV6. The cars show the necessary similarities and operate in the same segment. However, they look completely different and there are also differences, for example, when it comes to wheelbase, engine power and available variants. Hyundai and Kia also walk their own path when it comes to the continuation of the EV program. At Hyundai, this road leads in any case numerically upwards, although it is not yet entirely clear what that means for the positioning of the Ioniq 6 discussed earlier in this section. At Kia, the expansion road leads downwards in the first instance, because there is talk about a EV4.
Kia EV4 (illustration: Andrei Avarvarii)
Sportage format
The images on this page are based on little more than a very shadowy record on an equally murky overview of future Kia EVs. That means that a lot has to be done with regard to the appearance, but these ‘renders’ already give a nice impression of what a compact E-GMP SUV could look like. Although the car is lower on the ladder than the EV6, the body is probably higher. That is not surprising: unlike the EV6, the EV4 is not a sharply cut crossover, but a real SUV. As a Sportage-sized model, in the middle of one of the most popular segments in the world, the EV4 should certainly not be too outspoken. So count on a car that looks a bit more conservative next to the EV6, but at the same time shares many style features of that model. According to Kia, the most important landmark is the ‘digital Tiger Nose’ front, although we think that front is the least striking part of the EV6. In the absence of a grille, Kia designers shifted the focus of the EV models to the interplay between the headlights and the beam that connects the lighting units. However, the lighting at the back is all the more striking and can best be described as a huge, inverted ‘U’ that grips the entire ass. The ‘floating’ roof, so called because the A-pillars and part of the rear window pillar are kept black, is also taken over from the EV6. Unique are the much higher body, the ditto windows and the much straighter, station wagon-like tailgate.
A little less far
That valve promises interior space and that will soon be a strong point of the EV4. Its high body and large luggage space make it at least as practical as any other C-segment SUV, although the shorter model does not beat the EV6 with its legroom in the back. Under the front cover is a minimal frunk, just big enough for a charging cable. As an E-GMP product, the EV4 is of course basically a rear-wheel drive and we rely on power figures and battery capacities that we know from the simpler versions of the EV6. After all, a 584 hp powertrain as in the EV6 GT seems a bit exaggerated for the EV4. The range starts with 169 hp at the rear wheels and a battery of 58 kWh and increases to a four-wheel drive with 325 hp and 77.4 kWh lung capacity. All well-known figures, which also provide performance figures at the level of the EV6. Only the range remains slightly behind, thanks to the higher, less streamlined body of the EV4. Count on about 380 kilometers for the cheapest version and roughly 100 kilometers more for the topper in this area, a rear-wheel drive with the largest battery. The 800V charging system is standard on every E-GMP model, so that a full battery – if connected to the correct fast charger – is never far away. How long will the EV4 still have to wait? That is not yet clear, but we expect to see the car for the first time in late 2022 or early 2023 at the latest.
– Thanks for information from Techzle.nl