Kia EV4 and EV7 to launch next year as EV6 all-electric family grows
Kia’s EV6 all-electric family is set to grow, with the Kia EV4 and EV7 to launch next year, according to new reports.
Kia’s European product chief Sjoerd Knipping told the UK’s AutoExpress that the Kia EV6 would soon be welcoming some all-electric company, with the publication pin-pointing the vehicle segments the new models will be competing in.
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Kia is yet to officially name the models, but the brand has looked to Kia’s trademarks (which cover everything from EV1 to EV9) to hypothesise on what they’ll be called.
First to arrive will be the bigger SUV, which they’re calling the EV7, which will be designed to take-on the American market, where a bigger is better mentality still exists for all models.
That EV will be a true seven-seat SUV, though few other details have been uncovered.
It will be followed in late 2022 or early 2023 by the model they’re calling the EV4. Initially thought to be around the same size as the Kia Seltos, International reports now point to it starting similar dimensions to the Kia Sportage, making it a true mid-size SUV.
It will be offered with two battery sizes in Europe – 58kWh and 77.4kWh – but it remains to be seen whether the smaller battery makes its way to Australia. With the EV6, the brand has opted only to offer the larger battery.
If the same strategy is applied to the smaller SUV, then the EV4 could produce up to 430kW and 740Nm from dual electric motors, and driving range in excess of 480km between charges.
The new model will ride on the same dedicated EV platform as the EV6 (and its sibling, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, which is about to surge past 10,000 Australians who have registered their interest), and share those vehicles’ 800-volt architecture, unlocking 350kW DC fast charging.
The models are yet to be officially confirmed by Kia, and are yet to be locked in for our market, but with the EV6 seen as the next evolution of the brand in this country, more models are bound to arrive in Australia.
Kia has launched a Register Your Interest page for the EV6 in Australia, and is expecting the model to be a hit in this market. And with the Kia EV4 and EV7 to launch next year, hopes are high for its electric transition.