11. That’s how many electric vehicles Kia will introduce globally by the middle of the decade across various segments of the market, including SUVs, minivans, and other body styles. Leading the way will be an EV slated to come out in Europe next year sitting on a newly developed platform tailored to zero-emissions vehicles.
The EV in question promises to offer a driving range of more than 500 kilometers (311 miles, likely based on WLTP) and support “sub-20-minute high-speed charging time.” While Kia hasn’t revealed the identity of its new electric vehicle, it has said it will take the shape of a crossover that “blurs the boundaries between passenger and sport utility vehicles.” Today, our spies might have caught it undergoing testing in Europe.
It does appear to be one of those low-slung SUVs (yes, that’s an oxymoron) beaten with the coupe stick, similar to the swoopy Imagine and Futuron concepts introduced by Kia last year. We’re tempted to believe it has more in common with the latter, but with a conventional five-door layout rather than the Futuron’s two huge split scissor doors.
The heavy camo indicates we’re actually looking at a prototype carrying the production body, which would make sense considering the electric SUV will be out in 2021. The extra disguise on the door handles suggests the vehicle might eschew the traditional setup and go for electronic pop-out handles, which will likely become more common for the sake of better aerodynamics. The door handles don’t seem to stick out at all from the body, thus reinforcing our hunch the EV has recessed handles.
21 Photos
Kia’s existing EVs along with the additional 11 planned to come out in the years to come are part of the company’s goal to reach annual sales of 500,000 EVs by 2026. These will offer either 400V or 800V charging capacity and will be spread across several segments of the market to suit different customer budgets and preferences.
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