Compact sedans aren’t dead yet, they’re just evolving. At least that’s what Kia seems to be thinking, seeing how the EV4 concept that was shown last year blends the look of a classic four-door three-box design with elements borrowed from SUVs, like the slightly higher than normal ride height and black cladding around the wheel arches.
What’s more, the Kia EV4 will become a series-production EV, albeit a bit later than initially expected. According to The Korean Car Blog, which quotes local media reports, the funky all-electric sedan will go into production at the beginning of next year, a few months after the initial estimate.
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Kia’s funky electric sedan gets pushed back
The all-electric Kia EV4 compact sedan’s production start has been delayed by a couple of months, according to The Korean Car Blog. As per the source, the funky SUV-inspired EV will go down the assembly line early next year.
The information reportedly comes from Kia CFO & Vice President Woo-Jeong Joo who shared the company’s plans regarding future battery-powered vehicles during a conference call. “Electric vehicles are the biggest influence on Kia’s sales and profits,” he said. “We plan to flexibly respond to market changes in the medium to long term. The EV3, EV4, and EV5 will be launched sequentially, and we are determined to make these three models successful.”
We don’t know why the EV4’s production start has been delayed, but The Korean Car Blog says it might have something to do with improving the quality of the vehicle.
When it debuts in production form, the electric sedan will be inspired by the concept car that was shown in October of last year and it should go head-to-head with the highly competitive Tesla Model 3.
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As opposed to the Model 3, which is rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, the EV4 is expected to be front-wheel drive. Technical details are unknown for now, but the battery-powered sedan could be based either on the current E-GMP platform or on the new Integrated Modular Architecture (IMA) that’s slated to go online next year.
Seen as an evolution of the E-GMP architecture, IMA has the potential to lower manufacturing costs and enable the use of cheaper iron phosphate batteries which could further cut the selling price of entry-level EVs.
We’ll just have to wait and see what Kia has in store for its upcoming electric sedan. But until that happens, let us know what you think in the comments section below: would you consider buying a car that blurs the line between SUV and sedan?
