Kia is gearing up for the global unveil of its all-new electric vehicle in the coming weeks. The model will be the first of seven dedicated EVs from Kia that are slated to debut by 2027. Confirming the company’s plans in a recent media briefing, Ho Sung Song, president and CEO, Kia Corporation, said, “Our first dedicated EV, codenamed ‘CV’, will be revealed in the first quarter of this year.”
New Kia EV: design
A new Kia logo was recently revealed, with a revamp of Kia’s brand strategy. Song confirmed that the CV “will be the first global model with Kia’s new logo” and that the company will “adapt the new logo across (all) the products, latest by first quarter of next year.”
Moreover, the senior vice president and head of Kia Design Centre, Karim Habib, said that the automaker “will be starting a new design philosophy”, which will be revealed in the near future. As such, expect the new EV to sport Kia’s fresh design language.
While more details are awaited, the design boss did confirm that the firm’s signature ‘Tiger Nose’ grille will continue. “The ‘Tiger Nose’ grille is one of the great elements that is part of Kia's heritage, and it is part of the consistency that we would like to maintain in design. So, the ‘Tiger Nose’ will definitely remain in the future, but you will see it in very different executions,” he said.
Habib further suggested that interior space will be one of the CV’s highlights. “One of the great things about the EV architecture is that it allows for a lot more flexibility and space in the interior. So, I do think that in terms of interior design, we’ll be able to create a very new experience for our customers.”
In the past, Kia has hinted that the upcoming EV will feature “a crossover design which blurs the boundaries between passenger and sports utility vehicles”. To that end, it is expected to be inspired by the ‘Imagine by Kia’ concept vehicle revealed at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show.
New Kia EV: range and charging capabilities
Kia already has the e-Niro and the Soul EV in its portfolio, but the upcoming model will be the carmaker’s first battery electric vehicle to be built on the Hyundai Group’s bespoke E-GMP platform.
The CV is said to be capable of charging in under 20 minutes using a high-speed 800V charger, and pack in a range of over 500km. Moreover, a hotted-up variant is also on the cards. “We are definitely planning to launch high-performance versions of our electric vehicles and our first dedicated model will have a high-performance version too,” said Song.
Kia India plans
There is no official word from Kia about bringing the EV to our market. However, the company has made efforts to highlight its EV technology in the past by setting up a charging station in Andhra Pradesh and providing its range of electrified Niro vehicles to the state government.
In contrast, Hyundai, Kia’s sister brand, already offers the Kona Electric (at Rs 23.76-23.95 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi) in our market, and is working on bringing a mass-market EV to India in the coming years.
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