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Kia is on a roll and picking up speed.
The booming carmaker will debut five new models at this month’s Los Angeles motor show, capping off a year where it has already revealed the EV3 compact electric SUV, Kia Tasman ute, Kia EV5 mid-size electric SUV, a refreshed Sorento large SUV and added hybrid power to its Carnival people-mover.
There aren’t too many brands outside of China that are releasing new models as quickly as the South Korean maker.
The likely vehicles on its debut card for the LA show are the coming K4 — formerly Cerato — small hatchback and sedan that was detailed earlier this year.
It’ll maintain the brand’s footprint in the mainstream small car market with a 2.0-litre petrol engine and continuously variable transmission, which doesn’t move the needle but is affordable and accessible for everyday drivers.
That model is expected to be joined by a punchier 1.6-litre turbo-petrol variant later.
Next cab off the rank is likely to be the EV4, which is the electric sibling of the K4.
Prototypes have been spotted testing earlier this year in both sedan and liftback — read hatchback — form.
It is expected to mirror the EV3 SUV in price and specification.
That means a range that kicks off at just below $50,000 in Australia and rising to more than $70,000 for the full-fruit dual motor version, which will make it cheaper than the Tesla Model 3 and closer in price to the BYD Seal.
The EV4 should bring the same 58.3kWh and 81.4kWh battery options as the EV3. The bigger battery should be able to provide a driving range of over 600km, slightly more than the EV3 thanks to its slipperier profile.
It’ll be front-wheel drive with a single electric motor likely to deliver 150kW and 284Nm. Cheaper 400-volt charging architecture means it won’t have ultra fast charging like the bigger EV6 and EV9, but it will be acceptable thanks to the smaller battery.
Kia’s new hero electric car might be the next reveal.
The EV9 GT has been in the works and is a vehicle best suited to American tastes, which makes the LA show the right location for its debut.
Kia’s global boss, Ho-Sung Song, has already confirmed the EV9 GT will go on sale in January next year overseas.
The super-fast seven-seater's 0-100km/h time of 4.0 seconds is locked in and it is likely to pump out more power from its dual-motor set-up than the EV6 GT’s 430kW and 740Nm.
Next-up could be the production version of the PV5 electric van to bolster the company’s commercial vehicle stable.
It’s a futuristic looking zero-emissions workhorse aimed at new electric rivals such as the Ford E-Transit Custom and LDV eDeliver 7.
Lastly, Kia might be ready to take the wraps off the EV2 mini electric SUV.
Prototype mules have been spied testing around the world and the car is slated to start production in 2025 at the company’s Slovakia plant.
Kia’s boss has previously said it was aiming to break the US$25,000 ($38,000) mark.
This would put it head to head with cut-price vehicles from China and give it plenty of breathing room to the larger EV3 that is mooted to start at about $50,000.
The EV2’s strong European focus might mean it won’t be one of the cars on display at LA, but Kia might be booking up a headline grabbing concept to show off its next big thing.
Check back in later this week for the best reveals form the 2024 Los Angeles motor show.
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