The Kia EV6 and EV9 will be joined by more electric models in the not-too-distant future. Among them is the new EV4 — the baby crossover caught here by spy photographers for the first time. While Kia’s disguise is extensive, there’s no mistaking the underlying shape as a member of Kia’s growing EV crossover family.
While the EV4 is essentially a clean-sheet design, neither Kia nor its sister company, Hyundai, are new to the baby EV game. Kia’s Soul EV arrived long before the company embarked on its broader electrification strategy; meanwhile, Hyundai is in the process of rolling out a replacement for its Kona Electric. We suspect the EV4’s powertrain will borrow from the Hyundai parts bin.
If so, it should be offered with at least one of two battery packs: a smaller, 64.8 kWh unit (good for 260 miles of range in the Kona, Hyundai says) and a smaller, 48.6-kWh pack good for just 197 miles of range. Like the Soul EV, the Kona is offered exclusively in front-wheel drive. Like its battery packs, the Kona’s motors come in two flavors: small and less small, each corresponding to the appropriate battery size. The big battery pack version has a single electric motor good for 201 horsepower and 188 pound-feet of torque; the smaller motor is rated at 133 horsepower and 188 pound-feet of torque.
While this may sound like precedent for FWD-only offerings, we’re certainly not in a position to rule out rear- or all-wheel drive options. Kia has remained fairly tight-lipped on the EV4 thus far, but if there are running prototypes on the street, it’s only a matter of time before we see some official details. Stay tuned.
Related video:
