The EV onslaught planned by Hyundai and Kia is just getting started as a wide array of electric cars are planned to come out in the coming years to follow the Ioniq 5 and EV6. We already know the larger Ioniq 7 is due in early 2024 and it’s apparently going to get a Kia equivalent – potentially dubbed EV7 or EV8 – mainly for the North American market.
Before that happens, a smaller EV4 is in the pipeline and it could debut as early as next year. The British magazine has it on good authority Europe will be the compact electric crossover’s main market and that the model will go up against the Mercedes EQB and the recently unveiled Volvo C40. It too will ride on the E-GMP platform, which has also underpinned the Genesis GV60 introduced earlier this week.
While the EV6 featured above features a generous wheelbase measuring 2.9 meters, the EV4 is going to measure less between the axles, potentially similar to what the next-generation Sportage will have in European specification. Even if the EV4 will have a slightly shorter wheelbase, the new electric crossover will be more spacious as a result of riding on a dedicated EV.
The base version is said to boast a rear-wheel-drive layout with a single electric motor while the more expensive ones will benefit from AWD after adding an e-motor at the front axle. Even the entry-level EV4 should have over 200 horsepower whereas the all-paw model could exceed the 300-hp mark. 58- and 77.4-kWh battery packs are on the agenda for a WLTP range of more than 300 miles (483 kilometers) in the case of the larger battery.
It will be interesting to see what will happen to the Soul EV once the EV4 arrives on the market, especially since Kia is also working on a second generation of the electric Niro. The South Korean brand is reportedly planning to unveil the EV4 before the end of 2022, with sales commencing at some point in 2023.
Source: Auto Express
