Kia Teases All New EV3 Compact Electrical SUV Forward Of Launch, Later This 12 months

Who wouldn’t need such a compact, assured and sporty trying, racing pod of a automotive? The EV3 is Kia’s entry into the compact EV SUV phase. And whereas we don’t know for positive what its dimensions can be but, doubtless it will likely be of comparable measurement to Kia’s different compact SUV or crossover fashions, the Niro and the Seltos. This implies it’s going to doubtless be a bit smaller than Kia’s EV6 mannequin, and that will imply 6 – 12 inches shorter, 1 – 3 inches narrower, and maybe an inch or so taller than its curvier, decrease slung sibling. And maybe this solutions my query about who wouldn’t need it: individuals who need a bigger car with extra inside quantity. Kia has such electrical SUVs and crossovers after all, of their flagship EV9 and the aforementioned EV6.

What else do we all know in regards to the EV3? Its exterior design is daring, sturdy and geometric, with boxy or angular haunches and a futuristic id, in keeping with Kia. It should doubtless be priced aggressively, maybe turning into Kia’s lowest worth EV, in keeping with InsidEVs (it could begin round $32,000) and its manufacturing kind can be revealed on Might twenty third. Gross sales of the Ev3 doubtless received’t start earlier than late 2024, within the US, on the soonest. Value alone may very well be the only most essential determiner of its gross sales success within the US market. Why would I say that? People love SUVs and crossovers, everyone knows this, nevertheless People will not be fairly as gung ho for smaller SUV and crossover fashions. Take Kia’s personal smallest SUV the Seltos and its smallest crossovers the Niro or Soul. These 3 fashions, mixed, narrowly outsold Kia’s single greatest promoting SUV mannequin (the Sportage, a bigger compact SUV) within the US in 2023. Contemplating that Kia’s greatest promoting electrical mannequin within the US, up to now, is the EV6 and it solely sells within the 18-20,000 unit vary (yearly) up to now, it isn’t an excessive amount of of a stretch to motive that the EV3 could solely promote within the 10-15,000 unit vary, yearly (or presumably much less). Which may be a suitable quantity for its first yr or two in manufacturing, however I’d argue it isn’t sustainable long run and wouldn’t qualify as a “hit” with such gross sales figures when one considers the volumes of Kia’s 3 gross sales main fashions: the Sportage, Forte and Telluride, every of which offered properly over 100,000 items final yr within the US.

Gross sales quantity issues as a result of if Kia can’t promote greater than 10-15,000 items of its most reasonably priced EV, after a yr or two on sale, Kia received’t have the ability to obtain economies of scale and will not have the ability to produce it. At Kia’s current and comparatively modest annual development charges for EV gross sales of some thousand extra EVs per yr, the EV3 would doubtless be a failure, however I’m sure that Kia’s EV gross sales for 2024 will see a extra sturdy improve. That’s as a result of along with the EV3 occurring sale, the EV9 may also have a full calendar yr of gross sales this yr too. And whereas the EV3 could finally change a minimum of the Niro EV (if not the hybrid variations of the Niro), it received’t achieve this proper out of the gate. Thus I predict that Kia’s EV gross sales will improve by about 10-20,000 extra items this yr. Will that be sufficient to guarantee the viability of the EV3 and its Kia brethren? We’ll see.

Are you interested by the EV3? Are you a fan of smaller, compact or sub compact SUVs? Would you take into account shopping for the EV3? Please depart your responses and questions under.

Photographs courtesy of Kia.

Justin Hart has owned and pushed electrical automobiles for over 15 years, together with a primary era Nissan LEAF, second era Chevy Volt, Tesla Mannequin 3, an electrical bicycle and most not too long ago a Kia Sorento PHEV. He’s additionally an avid SUP rider, poet, photographer and wine lover. He enjoys taking lengthy EV and PHEV highway journeys to stunning and serene locations with the individuals he loves. Comply with Justin on Torque Information Kia or X for normal electrical and hybrid information protection.