Kia has unveiled its new electric vehicle lineup (EV) for Asia Pacific during its Kia EV Day APAC held in Taipei recently. They provided a glimpse of what’s coming to our region by showcasing four EV models – the Kia EV3, Concept EV4, EV5 and the Concept PV5.
The Kia EV day event marks Kia’s commitment to delivering sustainable mobility solutions in the Asia Pacific and reinforcing its position as an EV-centric brand for everyone.
Kia’s commitment to accelerate EV in Asia Pacific
During the event, Kia held its first-ever showcase of the Kia EV3 in Asia Pacific which is expected to arrive in selected countries in 2025. This is a compact fully electric SUV boasting class-leading storage capacity and flagship features from the Kia EV9.
Also on display are Kia’s larger EV5 SUVs and its Concept EV4 fully electric sedan.
Another interesting concept shown is Kia’s first dedicated Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV), a concept which offers modular solutions to cater for passengers, transport and utility. The rear half of the vehicle can be configured as a panel van or even a pickup depending on consumer and business requirements.
During the event, Kia showcased the Concept PV5 on stage in a three-row people mover configuration and it has the potential to operate as an autonomous robotaxi.
Kia says the PV5 is designed with diversity in mind from business to adventure. It sports a robust and simple design focused on delivering a customisable model tailormade to be multipurpose for ride-hailing, logistics and personal lifestyle activities. Some of its partners for the PBV lineup include Uber, Kakaomobility, CJ Logistics and Coupang.
As part of its EV expansion plans, Kia aims to widen its EV lineup across multiple price points and they are taking a tailored approach for each respective market. The Korean carmaker aims to set up a total of six global EV production bases by 2025, to stabilise EV production and battery supply to meet increasing demand and scale production efficiently.
Ultimately, Kia’s goal is to sell 1.6 million EVs annually by 2030 and they are committed to accelerating EV adoption globally.
Kia EV3 – Compact SUV with flagship features
The new Kia EV lineup consisting of the EV3, Concept EV4 and EV5 is estimated to be priced between USD 35,000 and USD 50,000 (about RM157,000 – RM225,000). The most affordable of the lot is the Kia EV3 which is a B-segment fully electric SUV with huge ambitions.
Although it is slightly smaller than the Kia Niro EV, it boasts more space and practical features on the inside. This includes a retractable tray table on the centre armrest area which can be used to put a laptop while working on the go.
The Kia EV3 features a single 150kW (201hp) electric motor driving the front wheels and comes in two battery options. The Short Range model gets a 58.3kWh battery capable of delivering up to 436km of WLTP-rated range and it can get from 0-100km/h in 7.5 seconds. Meanwhile, the Long Range model gets a larger 81.4kWh battery boasting up to 605km of WLTP-rated range, and a 0-100km/h time of 7.7 seconds.
When it comes to DC charging, the EV3 Long Range model takes 31 minutes to charge from 10-80%, while the short-range model does it slightly quicker in 29 minutes. It isn’t as blazing fast as the EV6 and EV9 as this compact SUV is based on a 400V architecture.
At the time of writing, there are still no indicative pricing and launch details for the Kia EV3 for the Malaysian market.
