After revealing the Kia EV9 electric SUV in production form earlier this year, the automaker is currently working on a smaller electric SUV for the Indian and European markets. Recently, the Kia EV4 compact SUV was discovered in testing, providing some information about Kia’s anticipated competition against the Maruti Suzuki EVX and Mahindra BE.05.
Kia EV4 Seen Testing
First off, the spy pictures of the Kia EV4 offer us an idea of the SUV’s size and market. A short glance at the spy photos leads one to believe that the next Kia EV4 will be a small SUV, probably in the C-segment. Although Kia’s C-segment vehicle in the nation is now the Seltos facelift, the EV4 could soon enter the market as an all-electric Seltos substitute. That would also place it in direct competition with the future Maruti Suzuki EVX, which was unveiled at the 2023 Auto Expo in concept form.
Kia currently sells the Niro EV, Soul EV, and EV6 in a number of international markets. The EV9 SUV will soon join these 3 electric vehicles. In the meantime, Kia is prepared to unveil the Kia EV5 SUV on August 25. Although the recently seen SUV has many of the EV9’s and the EV5’s teaser images’ design cues, it appears to be smaller than the latter and has different door pillars. This makes us think that the electric SUV that was discovered testing might be the EV4, which, when it is released, will be below the EV5. In reality, it appears that the test mule and the recently released Seltos makeover are the same sizes.
The cutouts for the front parking sensors and a radar module for the advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) are further details that can be seen in the spy photos. The test mule was reportedly spotted with production-spec aerodynamic wheels, and the rear taillamps appeared to be designed similarly to those of the EV6 and EV9.
The inside of the Kia EV4 in production is anticipated to be minimalistic, much like the EV6 offered in India. The majority of the contemporary technology available in modern electric vehicles will be found in the EV4, nevertheless. So, the infotainment system’s high quality touchscreen, a variety of different controls, and a sizable digital instrument cluster for the driver may all be expected.
The Kia EV4’s production-spec version may include a 50- to 60-kWh battery to give the electric SUV a 500-kilometre range on a single charge. To keep costs down, we anticipate Kia will equip the EV4 with a front-mounted single-motor setup. This electric drivetrain might also be used in the Hyundai Creta EV in the future. The Kia EV4 will compete with vehicles like the Mahindra BE05 and Maruti Suzuki EVX when it debuts, which is probably in 2025.
