Kia EV3, EV4 Concepts to further expand electric vehicle lineup
Kia reveals new concept models at Kia EV Day
Kia wants to accelerate the popularity of its all-electric vehicles, and they are doing it by broadening their model lineup.
Currently, Kia already has the EV6 and EV9 in its dedicated electric lineup. But on its annual EV day, Kia has unveiled three new models – the production-ready EV5, plus the EV3 and EV4 Concepts that Kia says are aimed to provide people with greater options and cater to various customer preferences.
We have already seen what the EV5 looks like as it was shown by Kia a few months ago, and on the brand's EV day, they shared more interesting details about the upcoming SUV. While the EV5 looks like a scaled-down version of the EV9, it seems as if Kia double-tapped the EV9 with a shrink ray, and the result was the EV3 Concept.
Quite simply, the EV3 Concept takes a lot of its design cues from both the EV9 and EV5. It still has that squared-off look with beefy body panels, but Kia softened up the edges in some places so the EV3 Concept can also get unique styling details.
While the EV3 Concept looks production-ready on the outside, the cabin is where Kia is still doing a lot of development. Following the EV9 and EV6's footsteps, the EV3 Concept also utilizes sustainable materials. Most of the cabin materials used inside were made from Mycelium, which comes from mushroom roots. Development is still underway, but Kia sees Mycelium as a potential replacement for traditional leather and other materials used as interior upholstery.
Somehow, Kia seems to be doing a BMW X series approach when it comes to its EV models; the odd-numbered ones' body types are easily identified while the even-numbered ones have a combination of two body types. The EV6 that's currently in production is somewhere between a hatchback and a crossover, while the EV4 Concept is revealed to look like a combination of a sedan and a hatchback.
The EV4 Concept has a sloping front end with a steeply-raked A-pillar, while the rear end sees some similarities to the recently revealed BMW iX2. Much like the rest of the Kia lineup, the EV4 Concept uses slim lighting units on the front and the back for a futuristic appeal.
Inside, the EV4 Concept shares a similar layout to the EV3 Concept, but the difference is that the EV4 utilizes natural dying with madder root and walnut shells in its cabin, providing unique color trims. The pin-style air vents that are also found on the EV3 Concept use individual jets to adjust airflow.
Since both are still very much concepts, Kia has not revealed any sort of powertrain specs just yet. But judging by the pace of development of the EV6, EV9, and EV5, we should expect Kia to come up with a production-ready version within a year or two. And when it comes to style, these are indeed interesting times for the Korean manufacturer.
