- The Kia Concept EV3 makes its debut as part of Kia’s EV Day event.
- Its squarish good looks borrow more than a hint of influence from the larger EV5 and EV9.
- Kia will likely confirm the EV3 for the U.S., but nothing has been set in stone just yet.
The Kia Concept EV3, along with the Concept EV4 sedan debuting simultaneously, marks the next step in the automaker’s plan to introduce electric vehicles across a wide variety of segments and prices. Most of what we’ve seen thus far has occupied the loftier side of the window-sticker spectrum, so here is what Kia has in mind as it begins to shrink those dimensions down.
And when we say “shrink those dimensions down,” we mean it. The EV3 borrows a whole lot of style from the EV5, which itself took a good deal of its styling from the larger EV9. Usually, this kind of generational self-pollination can lead to the whole design language feeling a little hackneyed, but a general softening of the 5’s and 7’s harder edges helps mitigate that. The EV5 picks up some clever twists that separate it from the EV9, and the EV3 does that, as well—and we’re not just talking about those slick four-spoke wheels, but those are boss, too.
Kia clearly believes it has a design hit on its hands with this new generation of robust-looking EVs. Despite its compact size, Kia found all sorts of room to throw interesting design elements. The squared-off trim around the wheel wells provide a bit of angularity, and it plays well with some equally beefy body panels. Around back, the “floating” C-pillar treatment drags your eyes toward the taillights, which follow the shape of the body practically back to the wheels. The tailgate’s rising bumper trim keeps that rough-and-tumble vibe going.
All this seems pretty tame by concept-car standards—and it should, as the EV3 shouldn’t take too long to transition from concept to production—but thankfully, the interior brings some of that traditional pie-in-the-sky thinking back into the fray. Sort of like the old Honda Fit’s Magic Seat, the bench in the back folds upwards, allowing a bike or scooter to fit inside. And thanks to Kia’s vehicle-to-load charging tech, said bike or scooter can pick up some juice as you go along.
Between the front seats lies a console table made of mycelium, a fungus-based material that’s growing in interior-study popularity with automakers seeking more eco-friendly materials. The rest of the cabin keeps things pretty light and airy, with slim seats and a pair of screens rising from the dashboard. Like the Concept EV4, the EV3 has the strangest climate system known to man, which replaces traditional vents with a number of small jets that move individually to adjust airflow. And yes, the whole lower half of the cabin lights up, because why wouldn’t it?
Since it’s a concept, Kia didn’t divulge any sort of powertrain specs. Considering how production-ready its styling looks, and how determined Kia is to grow its EV market share rapidly between now and the end of the decade, we can’t imagine we’ll have to wait too long. Soon enough we’ll likely find out what will provide the EV3’s motive force, and whether or not it’ll end up coming to the U.S.
Senior Editor
Cars are Andrew Krok’s jam, along with boysenberry. After graduating with a degree in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009, Andrew cut his teeth writing freelance magazine features, and now he has a decade of full-time review experience under his belt. A Chicagoan by birth, he has been a Detroit resident since 2015. Maybe one day he’ll do something about that half-finished engineering degree.
Source: Motor - aranddriver.com
