Kia is set to debut its newest electric car on May 23rd in Korea. This EV, called the Kia EV3, will likely become the brand's cheapest electric car, undercutting the Kia Niro EV. With a hinted at price of around $32,000, the EV3 is set to be an EV sales leader for the brand.
Most importantly, the EV3 will be sold in the U.S.—the even cheaper and smaller Kia EV2 is not expected to be sold in the U.S.
Kia has already shown a concept preview of the EV3 and now it's teasing the production model, which will be fully revealed on May 23 at 6 AM Eastern. Of the EV3, Kia says it "embodies the same award-winning formula that made the EV6 and EV9 such a success."
We expect the production vehicle to closely resemble the concept version, so expect angular styling and a strong resemblance to a scaled-down version of the Kia EV5 (seen below), which won't be sold in the U.S.
All Kia electric vehicles will be built on the same E-GMP dedicated EV platform that the automaker shares with Hyundai. However, the EV6 and EV9 have an 800-volt architecture; Kia will switch to 400-volt for all the smaller models because it is a cheaper solution. This will result in lower charging power and marginally less efficiency, but it will also allow the manufacturer to bring these models to market at a lower price.
The EV3 will reportedly be built in Mexico, and therefore, it might qualify for the full $7,500 tax credit. If it does, then its effective price could be around $24,500. If that price becomes a reality, then Kia will surely have a big seller in the form of the EV3. Even if it doesn't qualify for the full credit, the $7,500 should be available through leasing, meaning some killer lease deals could be attached to the EV3.
Mark your calendars for May 23, and be sure to check back in here. We'll be covering the debut of the highly anticipated and, hopefully, very affordable EV3.
