The Kia EV2 concept has been revealed as a first look at the brand’s smallest and most affordable electric car yet.
Due next year, the small SUV will be priced from less than €30,000 (£25,000), positioning it as a rival for the Renault 5 and Renault 4 siblings, Fiat 600e and the rumoured Tesla Model 2.
Technical details remain under wraps, but the EV2 is expected to utilise the entry-level version of the Hyundai Motor Group’s E-GMP architecture, which also underpins the larger Kia EV3 and EV4.
It's therefore likely to offer a similar assortment of powertrains as its siblings, which pair a 201bhp motor with a choice of 58.3kWh or 81.4kWh battery packs. The former gives the EV3 a range of 435km (270 miles), while the latter yields 604km (375 miles).
It's possible, however, that the EV2 may be restricted to the smaller pack to incentivise upgrading to a more expensive model and to reflect its junior billing.
It could also get the 43.3kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery used in the larger but related new PV5 van to cut costs, although Kia has yet to confirm any details.
In any case, a range of around 500km (310 miles) would put the EV2 ahead of its rivals. The 4, for example, manages 400km (250 miles) from a 52kWh pack.
Visually, the EV2 represents the next step in Kia’s Opposites United design philosophy. The most obvious developments are its smooth exterior surfaces and front lighting treatment, with an extra set of claw-like running lights mounted inboard of those that bracket the faces of the EV2’s larger siblings. At the rear end, its lights are mounted especially low and have a more rounded design than those on Kia’s existing EVs.
Inside, it gets the same combined instrument and infotainment display set-up as the EV3, spanning roughly half the width of the dashboard.
Many of the other features – flip-up front seat bases, Rolls-Royce-style doors and digital message boards on the side windows, for instance – will surely remain conceptual, however.
The arrival of the EV2 will mark the completion of the next phase in Kia’s electrification plan: it has turned its attention away from premium models aimed at early adopters (the EV6 and EV9) to launch an assault on what brand president Ho Sung Song called the “early majority”.
“From our expanded mass EV line-up, we're not just providing [mobility], we're infusing electrification into customers’ daily lives, making EVs more accessible for early majority customers who are ready to embrace the future,” he said.
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