Kia News: Kia EV4 Brings New Affordability to the Electric Vehicle Market

[Drew Dowdell]

New York - This morning, Kia unveiled the Kia EV4 sedan at the New York Auto Show.  The EV4 sedan is set to be an exciting new entry to the EV market, potentially undercutting the price of other EV sedans currently available. Built on a the e-GMP platform, the EV4 is Kia's first global EV sedan.  Sales in the US are expect to start in early 2026.

The EV4 will arrive in three trims, Light, Wind, and GT-Line. Two battery sizes will be offered, a 58.3 kW battery pack for the Light, and an 81.4 kW pack for the Wind and GT-Line.  The longer range battery is estimated to be capable of a range of 330 miles. Light models will have a range of 235 miles. Charging the EV4 from 10-percent to 80-percent can take as little as 29 minutes (31 for the long-range). All EV4s will be equipped with an NACS charge port. All models drive with a front-mounted 150kw motor, roughly 200 horsepower. Kia didn't mention torque output, but expect it to be sufficient for this size of vehicle.

Helping with drivability and range is Kia's new i-Pedal 3.0 system that intelligently handles acceleration or deceleration using only a single pedal. Tied with the regeneration system, i-Pedal 3.0 better helps maintain and extend range.

On pavement, the EV4 benefits from advanced chassis engineering aimed at delivering a high level of ride comfort and refinement as well as engaging driving dynamics. The front suspension is defined by an EV-tuned MacPherson strut design and the rear suspension is a multi-link geometry. Key areas of the vehicle body were stiffened to further enhance the EV4’s agility and cornering prowess.

The EV4’s nearly 30-inch total combined wide-screen display – comprised of dual 12.3-inch screens and five-inch climate display – serves as the face of Kia’s connected car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC). This tech-forward interface sets a high watermark for the in-car content experience, with connectivity and entertainment features that may be upgraded remotely with software enhancements delivered through over-the-Air (OTA) updates. Additionally, this innovative setup enables customers to apply available display themes across the cockpit, such as their favorite NBA team, for a personalized cockpit aesthetic. The EV4 also offers wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto. The driver can experience a more immersive relationship with the EV4 by way of Kia’s AI Assistant. This system utilizes machine learning to achieve a higher level of organic interaction and greater voice recognition between the driver and the vehicle.

Other key comfort and convenience features include standard dual-zone automatic temperature control with rear A/C vents, acoustic windshield, and available heated/ventilated front seats with driver side memory and a heated steering wheel.

Pricing and official option packing will be shared closer to the EV4's release next year.

 

View full article

 

[G. David Felt]

Excited to have this in the market as an alternative to the Tesla 3.

Not a fan of the coupe sedan look.

One area that I feel is a let down is the 400V system used on this rather than the original 800V system that is found in the higher level trims. Kia should had led with having this a fast 18 min 800V charge to 80% imho.

Interior I am happy with, spacious.

[Drew Dowdell]

22 minutes ago, G. David Felt said:

Excited to have this in the market as an alternative to the Tesla 3.

Not a fan of the coupe sedan look.

One area that I feel is a let down is the 400V system used on this rather than the original 800V system that is found in the higher level trims. Kia should had led with having this a fast 18 min 800V charge to 80% imho.

Interior I am happy with, spacious.

I noticed that too, but I think for the target market, it's fine. Tariffs aside (it will be built in S. Korea), It will be cheaper than the Model-3 by a lot. It's an EV for people who mostly charge at home and it will charge as fast as a base Model-3 on the road. Kia/Hyundai already show better charging curves than Tesla on Tesla chargers, so I expect it to be the same here.

[ccap41]

It isn't the prettiest thing, but it seems like a great overall package.

There's no real need for 800v charging when you're charging at 11.2kWh at home anyway. If it actually gets 300 miles of real world cruising, a 30 minute break to move around is much needed anyway. 

[ccap41]

I can't get over this section, on an otherwise very good looking vehicle.

[Paolino]

Good to see a Tesla fighter. That said, horrendous looking.

[ccap41]

29 minutes ago, Paolino said:

Good to see a Tesla fighter. That said, horrendous looking.

Yeah, it isn't the best looking vehicle I've ever seen. The rear is what REALLY kills it for me. It looks like two completely different parties designed the front 3/4 than the rear 1/4. 

[Drew Dowdell]

This may be a case of it not photographing well. It looks a lot better in person

[smk4565]

It doesn't look good, and I think it looks too funky for mass market adoption, which is the problem these car companies have with EVs.  They make the EV the most radical looking car in the line up, when if you ant volume it should be the most vanilla looking.  

Price will determine whether it sells or not.

[surreal1272]

No car, especially its rear end, should give off "Aztek" vibes. That is just an eye sore on an otherwise well packaged EV.

[G. David Felt]

I am not WOW, awesome looking, but as @Drew Dowdell pointed out, the pictures are worse than the video.

Amazing all the people that love it though on the Kia Youtube account and want it or so they say.

[surreal1272]

7 hours ago, G. David Felt said:

the pictures are worse than the video.

9 times out of 10, whenever someone has to say the above, it is because it is (in fact) ugly. No amount of "seeing it in person" changes the bad angles on the back of the EV4. There is no design cohesion back there when you look at the rest of the car. It is just a mess and I will stand by that, whether seen here or in person. 

[ccap41]

10 hours ago, G. David Felt said:

I am not WOW, awesome looking, but as @Drew Dowdell pointed out, the pictures are worse than the video.

 

Well, it doesn't video very well, either. 

 

10 hours ago, G. David Felt said:

Amazing all the people that love it though on the Kia Youtube account and want it or so they say.

Wow, all the people on Kia's YouTube accounts want it?! YA DONT SAY?! 

[Robert Hall]

The C-pillars and roof vents (or whatever those lumps above the rear window are) look very awkward in photos.  Can see the relationship to the current K4 in profile (the greenhouse), but differently bulged up lower body. 

Edited 9 hours ago by Robert Hall