Kia has unveiled their latest electric vehicle (EV) in their lineup, the EV4, which will be making its full debut later this month. Available in either sedan or hatchback variants, the Korean carmaker’s newest EV will be joining its currently SUV-dominated line-up, consisting of the EV3, EV5, EV6, and EV9.
The Kia EV4 will make its debut in Tarragona, Spain for Kia’s second Kia EV Day event on February 27. While we don’t know the Kia EV4’s exact dimensions as of now, but based on the concept vehicles shown off at its previous EV Day events, it will most likely be competing against the (larger) segment favourites such as the Tesla Model 3 or BYD Seal.
On that note, the production-ready Kia EV4 seems to have followed most of the styling touches previewed by the Concept EV4, with heavy emphasis on the ‘Opposites United’ design language found in the Korean carmaker EV line-up. Both sedan and hatchback variants share the same front fascia with vertical headlights, similar to the front of the EV5 and EV9.
For the Kia EV4 sedan, the overall body shape follows a long-tail design that flows towards the end to a sloped rear windscreen. The sedan variant also features a glass roof, thick C-pillars behind the rear doors, vertical taillights, two-piece roof spoiler, and machined 19-inch wheels.
The EV4 hatchback shares most of the same exterior features as its sedan counterpart, but sets itself apart with a different and visually narrower C-pillar, one-piece roof spoiler, and -obviously – a more conventional hatchback shape at the rear.
As always, a GT-Line kit is available to give the model a sportier edge. On here, it appears to include the wing-shaped front and rear bumpers, and a set of new 19-inch wheels with a triangular motif.
While the official specifications of the Kia EV4 is still under wraps, we expect the new model to be built on the marque’s Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) similar to the Kia EV3, EV6, and EV9.
As for what will power the upcoming Kia EV4, we also expect it to be using something similar to the Kia EV3’s innards, which consists of either a 58.5 kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery pack with 436 km (WLTP) EV range, or 81.4 kWh NMC battery pack with 605 km (WLTP) EV range, paired to a front-wheel drive (FWD) single motor offering 204 hp (150 kW) and 283 Nm of torque.
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Malaysia currently has two of Kia’s four EV models, the EV6 crossover SUV and EV9 three-row SUV. The EV6 comes only in a GT-Line variant with dual electric motors and all-wheel drive (AWD) churning out a total of 320 hp (235 kW) and 605 Nm, paired with a 77.4 kWh battery pack with 506 km (WLTP) of EV range. The Kia EV6 is priced at RM320k.
The EV9, meanwhile, is a three-row SUV, available in both six- or seven-seater forms. It’s powered by the same dual-motor setup as the EV6, but on here, pushes out some 380 hp (279 kW) and 700 Nm of torque, translating to a 0-100 km/h time of just 5.3 seconds. The 99.8 kWh lithium-ion battery is rated for 505 km (WLTP) in a single full charge. Pricing for the flagship Kia EV SUV starts at RM370k for the seven-seater.
READ: Kia EV9: The SUV with MPV practicality, and much more
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