Kia has big plans for expanding its electric car range, and among the new entries will be the EV4, shown in concept form last October. What we saw was a small to midsize fastback sedan, and based on spy shots, the production model will be a dead ringer for the concept. Not only that, but it apparently will be joined by a more conventional hatchback variant.
Starting with the sedan at the top, it’s clear the concept was basically the real car. There are of course small deviations, like smaller wheels with some real sidewall on the tires. Though the wheel designs are still just as radical looking as anything we’ve seen on Kia’s concepts. The mirrors are bigger, and there are extra details in the headlights and grille to accommodate things like lenses and sensors. But the long, fastback profile is fully intact, along with the quirky rear roof spoiler extensions. The rear deck is still fairly high, which should translate into generous cargo space, particularly if it retains the concept’s liftback. And those headlights are still just as vertically oriented as the concept’s.
The surprise is the conventional hatchback variant that was also caught out testing. It of course looks about the same from the B-pillars forward, but there are significant changes toward the rear. Not only does the roofline extend straight back, but the entire rear of the car has been shortened. It gives the car a smaller, tighter appearance, and will obviously allow some additional vertical space for bulky items, though the shorter length may mean cargo space between the two versions will be closer than expected.
While crossovers and SUVs are the new bread and butter for the U.S. car market, the EV4 would be an important bridge between the anticipated EV3 and the current EV6. Kia hasn’t said much about even hypothetical specs for the EV4, but it will undoubtedly be on the E-GMP platform shared with nearly every other EV offered by Hyundai, Kia and Genesis. That means an 800-volt architecture with high charging speeds. It’s also likely to be offered in rear-drive and all-wheel-drive versions with single and dual motors respectively. Also, since the EV3, which was previewed last fall as well and revealed in May, we’re expecting to see the production EV4 revealed perhaps in a few months.
