- The Kia Concept EV4 debuted in Korea at Kia’s EV Day event.
- Call it a sedan, call it a hatchback, just don’t call it late for dinner.
- We’d say it’s a pretty safe bet that the EV4 will make its way to the U.S.
When is a sedan not a sedan? When it’s the Kia Concept EV4. Yes, this electric concept has four doors and the proportions we expect from a sedan—and don’t get us wrong, we’re glad to see this body style remain relevant for longer—but Kia claims it’s an entirely new kind of sedan. Either way, hey, it’s not a crossover!
The Kia Concept EV4 is part of the automaker’s strategy to release a series of electric vehicles across a greater swath of the vehicular kingdom. Alongside the Concept EV3 that also debuted at Kia’s EV Day event in Korea, the EV4 promises to break into smaller segments, now that the automaker has unveiled larger battery-electrics including the EV5, EV6, and EV9. And while nearly the entire portfolio consists of crossovers, the EV4 toes the line between sedan and hatchback in the hope of reconverting some utility-vehicle owners who still want to maximize spaciousness.
While the EV4’s silhouette is unlike anything we’ve seen, there are a few influences we can see making their way down from the EV6, which itself rides that fine line between hatchback and crossover. That long, sloping nose (yes, complete with a frunk) and heavily raked windshield should cut through the air quite nicely, but it’s the rear end that really gets weird. Looking like the love child of an EV6 and a Cadillac CT4, the rear glass starts its downward progression at the rear wheel and continues on through three zip codes, finally terminating at a familiarly shaped integrated spoiler.
There are some design elements that the Concept EV4 shares with its more diminutive sibling, the blocky Concept EV3. The trim around the wheel wells contains all sorts of interesting angles. That rugged-looking gray stuff also creeps its way upward on both bumpers, adding variety to some otherwise clean body lines. The concept’s matte-gold paint is pretty slick, too.
The emphasis on width makes its way inside, where a relatively clean cabin layout keeps things feeling nice and spacious. A single binnacle rises from the dashboard, but most other elements are tucked away—in this case literally, as the climate controls retract when they aren’t needed. The pin-style air vents, which are also found on the EV3, are a unique take on an oft-ignored part of the car, using individual jets to change how the air flows. If you’re wondering how much ambient lighting there is in here, the answer is “plenty.”
This being a concept, Kia didn’t bring any sort of powertrain specs along for the ride, but we don’t expect the EV4 to stay in the conceptual realm for long, even though the automaker has yet to confirm whether or not this slick electric sedan will come to the U.S. With the EV9, the EV5, and both the Concept EV3 and Concept EV4, Kia has a whole lot of interesting stuff coming down the pipeline before the end of the decade.
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
