The Kia EV4 sedan made a guest appearance and Kia New Zealand's "EV Day" yesterday, with the Tesla Model 3 competitor taking centre stage between its SUV siblings, the small EV3 and medium EV5. Kia also revealed pricing for the EV3 at the event, which doubled as the media launch for the small SUV.
The EV4 is heading to New Zealand later this year (likely sometime in Q4) in sedan form, with the hatch version being a European-only model for now, and is closely related to the EV3 SUV, using the same 58.3 kWh standard battery and 81.4 kWh long-range battery and150kW electric motor mounted on the front axle.
The EV4 has a longer wheelbase than the EV3, however, and its slipperier shape (the sedan has a 0.23 Cd) means it will have a longer range than both the EV3 and the European hatch, with Kia saying it expects the long-range sedan model to have an impressive 630km under the WLTP cycle.
Local specifications and pricing for the EV4 are still to be finalised, but a rough idea of what might be likely can be drawn from the pricing and line up of the EV3 SUV that were announced at the event.
The EV3 has officially launched in New Zealand, with the first models expected to start being delivered next month. Replacing the Niro EV in Kia's local range, the launch line up consists of Light, Earth and GT Line models, with the entry-level Light model being available in short and long range variants.
The Light short-range with the 58kWh battery and a 436km range kicks off proceedings at a very sharp $55,290, while the long-range version (81kWh battery and a 605km range) ups that to $62,220.
The Earth model is only available with the 81kWh long-range battery and lands at $69,220 with a 563km range, while the top spec GT Line will cost $75,220 with the same battery and WLTP range.
This pricing for the Light is particularly aggressive, with the car the EV3 replaces - the fully electric version of the Niro - previously starting at $68,990 for the Light model (with a 64kWh battery), with a mid-spec Water model landing at $75,990.
As it stands now, the entry EV3 Light short-range is fractionally cheaper than the equivalent Niro PHEV model (the $55,690 Light), making the entry into the EV3 range a very sharp price point.
