Kia EV3 electric city SUV unveiled, coming to Australia next year

Honey, I shrunk the Kia EV9! South Korean car giant Kia has today unveiled the third model in its new-generation electric SUV rollout.

Although it looks huge in these images due to its bold and futuristic design, the Kia EV3 is smaller than a Toyota RAV4 and designed to compete in the booming city-SUV class.

As with the flagship Kia EV9 seven-seater, and the upcoming Kia EV5 mid-size SUV, the Kia EV3 will be available in three model grades: Air, Earth and GT-Line.

Price and details for the Kia EV3 are yet to be announced.

However using overseas pricing as a guide – said to be starting from $US35,000 – the Kia EV3 could cost from about $50,000 and climb to $60,000-plus for the top-of-the-range model in Australia.

The Kia EV3 is due to go on sale overseas in the second half of this year.

Using that timing as a guide, we reckon the Kia EV3 could be in Australian showrooms in the first half of next year, pending any delays.

The great news is Kia has adopted the design themes – inside and out – from the Kia EV9 flagship.

And then added some extra ideas for good measure.

For example, the one-pedal driving mode is adjustable, so drivers can increase or decrease the amount of regenerative braking before the car comes to a stop.

And the centre console has a clever tray that pokes out so you can rest a lap top when parked (perhaps to stream movies while your car recharges), or spread out your bounty of fast food.

In other welcome news, the Kia EV9 GT-Line’s digital side mirrors – which look great but are worse than regular side mirrors in real-world use – are not available on the Kia EV3 (or the upcoming Kia EV5).

Meantime, here are the key preliminary details on the Kia EV3:

• Air (entry model)
• Earth (mid-grade model)
• GT-Line (flagship model)
• Length 4300mm
• Width 1850mm
• Height 1560mm
• Wheelbase 2680mm
• Front-wheel-drive
• 58.3kWh battery pack (standard range, up to 400km)
• 81.4kWh battery pack (long range, up to 600km)
• All models powered by 150kW/283Nm electric motor
• Claimed 0 to 100km/h: 7.5 seconds
• Claimed top speed: 170km/h
• Aerodynamics: Drag coefficient of 0.263 Cd (claimed)
• Interior: Widescreen instrument cluster and infotainment screens (top models also get 12-inch heads-up display in windscreen)
• Vehicle-to-load (V2L): First electric vehicle in the segment with this tech, says Kia, to power small fridges, lap top computers, coffee machines and hair dryers
• Smartphone ‘key’ access

Stay tuned to EFTM for further updates on the Kia EV3 as new information becomes available.