Latest news with #EV4
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Kia EV4
One of the many remarkable things about Tesla is that so much of its growth has been built on a bodystyle that had seemingly long since gone out of fashion. The success the Tesla Model 3 has had as a fairly traditional – perhaps even old-fashioned – low saloon defies logic when every other car maker is packing its range full of crossovers and SUVs, backfilled by evergreen hatchbacks. There have been other electric saloons, most notably the BMW i4, but among a sea of electric crossovers and hatchbacks flooding the market, the number of true Model 3 rivals barely makes a puddle. The Kia EV4 is the brand's first electric saloon and, as a global model from a car maker with one of the industry's better electric car ranges in its breadth and quality, its big range and attractive price allow it to be considered a true Model 3 rival. Even so, given Kia's global footprint and the need to tailor models to different markets, the company hasn't gone all in on the EV4 as a saloon and is also offering it as a hatchback. This will be built in Europe, the first Kia electric car to do so at its Slovakia plant. Kia UK recognises that the Model 3 is very much onto something, so this saloon version of the EV4 will be offered in the UK as well to make sure Tesla doesn't have the electric saloon segment all to itself. It's the saloon we're testing in Kia's native Korea, where the EV4 has gone on sale first. Even Kia design boss Karim Habib admits the design of the EV4 saloon is 'polarising' although he loves what his team has created and has set out to 'redefine what a saloon can be'. It certainly beats the Model 3 for visual interest. The EV4 has echoes of a Lamborghini at the front end in how the angles of the windscreen and bonnet are almost parallel. Then, at the rear, there is more of a long-tail design, which helps give a super-slippery drag coefficient of just 0.23, a best-in-class figure. Despite how atypical it is from a normal saloon, it is still recognisable as a Kia and fits within the wider range. Habib says the EV4 was originally planned to be only a hatch and the idea for the saloon came later. I like the boldness of it. After a while, the shock factor subsides and you are left to admire so many little exterior design details; it's the kind of car you want to touch and run your hand over to follow the shapes and lines. It's certainly not a Toyota Camry. The EV4 saloon is marginally longer than a Model 3, at 4730mm, and 30cm longer than the EV4 hatchback. The boot of the saloon is 490 litres to the 435 litres of the hatchback. The interior is largely recognisable from the excellent cabin of the EV3 but with a few distinctive elements of its own. The nearly flat floor really comes into its own in the saloon to make it all feel so light and spacious, particularly in the rear. The GT Line trim of our test car also brought with it some nice ribbed seat materials that act as a further point of difference and they're super-comfortable. More broadly, Kia has found a nice balance between technology and screens and physical switches and buttons, with the EV4's switchgear and major controls all sited in intuitive places. There is a pleasing heft and quality to everything too and the materials look and feel modern. The EV4 is a platform twin of the Kia EV3 and the two have very similar specs. It uses a 400V version of the firm's E-GMP architecture for electric vehicles (the larger Kia EV6 and Kia EV9 models use an 800V version) and is offered with either a or 81.4kWh battery. A front-mounted electric motor with 201bhp and 209lb ft powers both options and the 0-62mph time is between 7.4sec and 7.7sec, depending on the battery and bodystyle combination. The EV3 has a lot of objective qualities but to drive it lacks some sparkle. It doesn't do anything wrong; you're just looking for a bit more character. And that's what the EV4 provides – a bit more character – which is mostly a result of you sitting lower. Given the vast majority of electric cars are crossovers of one shape or size, it is a novelty at first to sit much lower in the EV4. It comes across as a bit racier and you feel more connected to the road than in the EV3. You can nip and dart around the traffic more and find more pleasure even in suburban traffic. The power delivery is just right and the accelerator pedal has a happy knack of knowing how much 'go' you're looking for. There are different driving modes – Eco, Normal and Sport – and this is a rare mainstream EV where Sport mode does actually make it feel a bit sportier, rather than simply faster with more heft to the steering, sharper responses and more power from the motor. Our Korean test roads were flat and lacking in the kind of corners where you can really get to know the car. The ride was comfortable, more on the soft side than the firm, and the limits of grip were never reached. It still felt that it had more of an edge than the EV3, although not exactly transformative in character. The steering felt a bit springy and odd immediately off centre and it could have done with a more natural feel to it, yet it was precise enough and the EV4 proved an easy car to place. A different chassis tune will be given to European-spec EV4s so some of these impressions should be taken with a pinch of salt. The longest range on offer for the EV4 is from the saloon with the larger battery, which offers 391 miles. With the smaller battery, the EV4 saloon has a 267-mile range. In the hatchback, the small battery gives 255 miles and the larger battery 367 miles. These are all claimed figures. A DC fast charge from 10% to 80% takes around half an hour. The range is a real highlight of the EV4. We were getting an indicated 356 miles on a warm day over a route made up of largely of faster motorway driving. Its efficiency seems to be a notable improvement over the EV3's to that end. There's no pricing for the EV4 yet but it's expected to be priced and positioned alongside the EV3 and with the same trims, starting at around £36,000 for the Long Range model. The EV4 is a good electric car and a good car too. It has bold looks and an excellent interior – and it is some clever and more inspired chassis tuning away from being a car you'd recommend as much for the way it drives as the way it looks. The hatchback is inevitably going to be the stronger seller, but whatever that car ends up being, even on looks alone the saloon feels like a model in its own right rather than a derivative. However niche it may end up being, it is still one of the more notable and interesting additions to the electric car world. ]]>
Motor Trend
16-06-2025
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
2026 Kia EV4 First Drive: Let's Hope the Price Looks Better Than the Car
We've just had our first drive of Kia's new EV4 electric sedan, and we have plenty to say—but do our thoughts even matter? As an entry-level electric car, the EV4's success or failure will likely hinge on price. Unfortunately, we have no idea what the 2026 Kia EV4's price will be, and with tariffs and EV tax incentives up in the air, we suspect Kia doesn't, either. We drove the new EV4 in Korea, where it's already on sale with a base price of 42.6 million won—around $31,000—so keep that figure in mind as we tell you what we liked about the EV4, and what we didn't. The 2026 Kia EV4 offers a refined drive and solid range but suffers from cramped interiors and awkward styling. Its success hinges on pricing, estimated between $30,000-$38,000. Its competitive range and features could appeal if priced well for entry-level EV buyers. This summary was generated by AI using content from this MotorTrend article Read Next The Good, the Bad, and … the Ugly? We're of two minds when it comes to the 2026 Kia EV4: We love the way it drives, but the packaging and styling leave something to be desired. Mom taught us the best way to have your criticism heard is to begin with a compliment, so we'll lead with the good before we talk about where the EV4 gets it wrong. As an entry-level electric vehicle, the EV4's powertrain is modest, with a single 201-hp motor driving the front wheels. A dual-motor version will eventually join the lineup, though Kia has not said when. Kia estimates the front-drive EV4 will get to 60 mph in around 7.5 seconds, which seems like an unexceptional number, particularly by EV standards. But being electric, the single motor delivers its 209 lb-ft of torque punch the instant you call on it. And punch it does. There's no hesitation, no waiting for a downshift; you just point, and the EV4 shoots. A good portion of our drive was in Seoul's freeway traffic, which gives Los Angeles' epic rush hour a run for its money. The good news is the EV4 proved willing to dart into any gap we wished to call our own. This—and not the liberal agenda so many letter-writers accuse us of having—is why we're crazy about EVs. We like quick cars, and even slow EVs are quick. The EV4 is also remarkably refined thanks to a comfortable ride and quiet demeanor. Kia did not skimp on sound insulation—important in an electric car, where there's no engine note to hide road and wind noise—and the EV4 is commendably quiet. It's a bit of a brain-blender; you don't normally associate this level of refinement with an entry-level car. Curves and Range Kia had us head into the hills above Seoul to enjoy some great curvy roads, which we found plagued by 30-kph (18.6-mph) speed limits and drivers who obey them. Still, by letting the gaps open and taking advantage of a few obliging highway cloverleafs, we did get a basic feel for the EV4's demeanor. The steering is responsive if a bit heavy (better than being too light), and there's no shortage of grip combined with a commendable lack of body roll. We'll see how the EV4 does when we test it here at home, but given our experience with other cars based on the Hyundai/Kia E-GMP platform, we expect the numbers to be good. The EV4 will be available with two powerpack options, 58.3- or 81.4-kWh batteries; the former is expected to deliver 235 miles of EPA-rated range and the latter an impressive 330 miles. To keep the EV4's cost down, the car uses a 400-volt architecture instead of the 800-volt system in other E-GMP vehicles, which means longer fast-charging times: 10–80 percent in 29 minutes with the small battery and 31 minutes with the big battery. That's slower than 800-volt Kias like the EV6, which does the deed in 18 minutes or less, but on par with the bulk of lower-cost electric cars now on the market. Plug into your 240-volt home charger, and 10–100 percent should take five hours with the small battery and seven with the big one, an easy overnight powerup. Peter Schreyer, Please Call Your Office Here's what we didn't like about the 2026 Kia EV4. First, there's the strange styling. Granted, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so you might disagree, but Kia thinks an unusual look will attract younger buyers. To us, however, the EV4's styling isn't as much unusual as it is unfortunate. The EV4 reminds us of the time, oh, 25 or 30 years ago, when designing unattractive cars seemed to be South Korea's national pastime. That era ended when Kia hired designer Peter Schreyer away from Audi. Schreyer has since moved to a new position in the Hyundai-Kia conglomerate, but the EV4 makes us think perhaps his work is not yet done. The EV4 is much better looking on the inside than the outside, but the cabin is not without sin. The dashboard design is sound, with a panoramic twin-screen arrangement we've come to know and love in other Kias, as well as crisp screens and high-quality (and rather imaginative) trim. Happily, Kia has given up on the silly idea of using the same set of buttons and dials for climate and stereo controls, as seen in several of its cars; as with the K4, the two systems now get separate controls. Praise be! The problem with the new EV4's interior is that it feels more cramped than a typical compact sedan, an issue stemming from the combination of a high floor and low roof. The former is due to the battery, which, as in most EVs, is located beneath the car. The latter is down to the aerodynamic shape, which yields a drag coefficient of 0.23, the same as a Tesla Model Y and 0.04 lower than a Toyota Prius. Look at the spec sheet, and you'll see the EV4 has only a smidge less headroom than a K4 sedan (a smidge, in this case, being just less than half an inch), but headroom is measured from the seat's hip point, not the car's floor. The EV4's seats sit closer to the floor than in most cars (though perhaps it would be more precise to say the floor is closer to the seat), which compromises the seating position. Allow me to switch from the royal we to first-person singular for just a moment: I'm 5-foot-6, midway between the heights of the average man and the average woman. The downside is I'm easy pickings in a bar fight; the upside is that I can find a satisfactory seating position in most cars. In the EV4, when I adjusted the seat to my preferred comfy leg-angle position, I found myself looking through the top of the windshield. When I dropped the seat to better center my view, I felt like I was sitting on the floor—but without enough room to stretch my legs out and still feel as if I was in the same zip code as the dashboard. Obviously, this is what driving is like for my 6-foot-plus colleagues, but I am not a tall man, and no car should make me feel like I am. I don't have these problems in a Tesla Model 3, which has a roofline 2.5 inches lower than the EV4's. Rest Your Elbow on the Diving Board There are other questionable design decisions, like how the EV4 utilizes the space between the front seats. This new Kia has a nice half-length padded armrest, which hinges upward to reveal … another armrest. At least, that's the best description I can come up with for the hard-surfaced panel underneath, other than an architect's model of a diving board. Why did Kia bother to hinge the padded part? Perhaps the designers thought someone might try out the armrest and think, 'Gosh, that's just a bit too comfortable.' ( Nota bene , Gen Z; not only does Kia think you have no aesthetic sense; the company also thinks you're masochists.) The diving board itself does not hinge upward, but instead slides forward and back, allowing EV4 owners to choose between blocking most or all the open storage cubby beneath it. It only blocks access, mind you; thieves can still see the contents from outside the car regardless of the diving board's position. The cubby itself is barely big enough to contain a box of tissues or a couple of phones, never mind a purse (even a small one) or the mind-boggling collection of hair clips, hair bands, pens, phone-charging cables, loose change, business cards, napkins (new and used), and half-eaten granola bars someone who will remain nameless but might be my wife stores in the center console of her Mazda. (Oops, first person again. Sorry.) Surely, most car owners would be better served by a simple box with a hinged, padded cover on it than this strange contraption fitted to the EV4. Now, we're not suggesting you judge the entire EV4 on its low roof or its silly center-console design; rather, we're trying to illustrate that function has taken a back seat here to fashion. Speaking of back seat, that, too, suffers from the EV4's high floor. Although Kia will no doubt brag about the legroom measurement, the seat is too close to the floor and there's no space to get your toes under the front seats, so it all feels less roomy and comfortable than a tape measure suggests. Priced Right, the EV4 Could Be a Winner What we have here is a strange-looking car with a cramped interior that offers a lovely, refined driving experience and useful long-range ability. Like many cars, it's an imperfect compromise, but we know buyers will put up with a lot for a bargain. As we mentioned earlier, the EV4's base price in Korea is $31,000, and a top-of-the-range GT Line model with the big battery, a sunroof, premium paint, Harmon-Kardon stereo, a comprehensive head-up display, and Kia's outstanding advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) lists for around $38,500. Were Kia to maintain that pricing in the U.S., the top-of-the-line EV4 would just undercut the brand's current entry-level EV, the Niro, and it would swoop in underneath the $33,000 Hyundai Kona Electric, a taller SUV without the EV4's interior space problems. (Kia is part of the Hyundai group, but the two brands operate as competitors.) $31,000 is a great price point for people who are already sold on EVs, those who understand that driving an electric car means never paying for gas or oil changes. (Your electricity bill goes up, of course, but likely nowhere near as much as if you were still paying for gas.) But for those considering an EV for the first time, a $30,000 price point might seem a bit steep considering how many good cars and SUVs start for less th $25,000. We often hedge our first drives by saying we must wait until we can test a car on our home turf, but in the case of the 2026 Kia EV4, our hedge must wait until we see pricing. That might not occur until close to the EV4's fourth-quarter 2025 on-sale date. We'll keep our fingers crossed, because the new EV4, for all its shortcomings, has great prospects as an entry-level EV. If Kia gets the price low enough, we expect to see a lot of these cars on the road.
NZ Autocar
09-06-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Autocar
Kia commits to hatchbacks with EV4 and K4
Against the general trend, Kia is committed to launching more hatchbacks and saloons, rather than going all-in on SUVs. Its EV4 and K4 are rivals for Volkswagen Golf and ID 3. Kia executive vice-president, Ted Lee, recently told Autocar UK that there was still 'big volume' for hatchback models in Europe. He confirmed that the firm would continue to offer them and indeed launch all-new models. Lee co-ordinates Kia's global business outside of Korea. Read our review of Kia EV3 here. The first of these newcomers is EV4, set to dot down in New Zealand soon. It will be built at Kia's plant in Slovakia, and will also be offered as a saloon built in South Korea. The EV4 will be joined by the K4, a hatchback that debuted at the New York motor show. It replaces Ceed and will be built at Kia's plant in Mexico in both hatch and saloon forms. An estate version is on the cards too. Lee said that Kia currently has a 'strong position in Europe, especially in the UK.' Kia sales have grown more than 30 per cent since 2020 in the EU. In the UK, Kia has sold more than 100,000 cars for three years running. It is the third best-selling brand in 2025, less than 300 units behind second-placed BMW. However, Lee said increased competition in Europe from Chinese brands makes for a 'difficult market '. Kia will further strengthen its aftersales, parts supply and customer journeys in response. However, it will not become embroiled in a price war in Europe in the face of new lower-cost competition. Instead, it will maintain its focus on residual values, which it credits as partly responsible for the 'sustainable growth' the brand has enjoyed. Lee said Kia has done this by maintaining demand. Cars are not pushed to dealers and onto customers at discounted rates but are built and sold according to demand. Describing this as a 'healthy cycle', Lee said: ' It might sound very easy, but in reality it requires a very strong determination and sense of principle.'
NZ Autocar
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Autocar
Kia President and CEO checks out New Zealand operation
Kia Corporation President and CEO, Mr Song Ho-Sung, visited New Zealand recently. He dropped in on Kia's head office and the country's number one selling Kia dealership. Mr Song's journey here was an opportunity to hear firsthand how Kia is doing in New Zealand. He also saw visited the first dealership in the country that is sporting the new Kia corporate identity. The Managing Director of Kia New Zealand, Todd McDonald commented: 'Mr Song's visit provided a forum to discuss strategic alignment and highlight our shared vision of business-orientated goals.' He added 'Global support of our local direction – especially with Tasman Ute and new EV models waiting in the wings – is critical to our ongoing success. 'His visit reinforced to our staff, dealer network as well as customers that the Kia Corporation values and appreciates New Zealand. It is an illustration of their commitment to our market.' Kia NZ releases Tasman pricing here. 'In addition to invaluable time with Mr Song, it was also an excellent opportunity to gain insight into future products and exciting innovations we can expect to see in the not-too-distant future.' Giltrap Group Executive Directors, Michael and Richard Giltrap, were on hand to greet Mr Song and introduce him to the staff at the Group's North Shore location. Read our news item on Kia EV4 here. 'Kia is an integral part of the Giltrap Group's new model portfolio, especially in the EV space and also with the new Tasman Ute. So it was a privilege to host Mr Song while he was in Auckland,' said Michael Giltrap. 'It's a real sign of belief in the product that the President and CEO decided to come to our showroom. It also provided a great confidence boost for our team.' Mr Song's visit followed Kia New Zealand's inaugural EV Day. It is a precursor to the impending launch of the Tasman Ute and upcoming release of the EV4. Both new models will go on sale here in Q3.
Korea Herald
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Korea Herald
Kia reports record EV sales in Europe in first quarter
Kia Corp., South Korea's second-biggest carmaker, sold a record number of electric vehicles in Europe in the first quarter, data showed Tuesday. Kia sold 27,761 EVs during the January-March period in the European market, a 17 percent increase from the previous record set in the third quarter of 2023, according to the data provided by the company. The proportion of EVs in the company's overall vehicle sales in Europe also surpassed the 20 percent mark for the first time. The boost in EV sales was spearheaded by the Kia EV3, a compact electric sport utility vehicle model, which sold 17,878 units in the first quarter, accounting for 64 percent of the company's total EV sales in the cited period. Sales of EVs are rapidly increasing in Europe, with 573,500 cars sold in the first quarter alone, up 28 percent from the same period last year, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association. The South Korean automaker plans to beef up its EV lineup with the launch of the new EV4, EV5 and PV5 models in Europe this year. (Yonhap)
