Having teased concept images of the EV3—which you can think of as a squished EV6, or a very compressed EV9—last winter, Kia has confirmed the reveal of the real thing will happen later this year.
It’s expected to fall into the firing line of other small electric crossovers, like the Volvo EX30 and Hyundai Kona.
But where the EV3 will look to gain ground is a purported entry price of £28,000 in the UK (P2 million); a considerable amount lower than said rivals. We'll believe it when we see it, etcetera.
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Kia also plans to use the EV3 to ‘popularize’ electric cars... that’ll be a tough gig if the response to the concept is anything to go by. Come on comments section, did it really deserve that much of a kicking?
Plenty of styling cues have been pulled directly from its bigger EV9 sibling, including the sharp headlamp cluster, spacecraft-like alloy wheels and squarish profile all around. Obviously, we’re yet to see how much of that will survive on the production version.
Kia has also said the EV3 will offer a fair amount of configuration on the inside. Just don’t expect the camping table, swivel seats, or fridge mooted for the EV5.
Speaking of which, that and the EV4 concept will hit production in the wake of the EV3, as Kia pushes ahead with plans to be all-electric by 2035.
An EV2 is also on the way, plus a couple of battery-powered vans (yep, vans) called PV5 and PV7. Many electric Kias, basically.
More photos of the Kia EV3:
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
