TAIPEI, Taiwan – Kia is set to expand its electric vehicle (EV) lineup in the Asia-Pacific region with the official debut of the EV3 crossover here last week.
Unveiled at the 2024 Kia EV Day at the Taipei Performing Arts Center, the battery-electric subcompact crossover started sales in South Korea last July and in Europe this month. It is the third production EV in Kia’s current lineup as of press time, after the EV6 and EV9 crossovers.
Priced from $35,000 to $50,000 (around P2.05 million to P2.93 million), the EV3’s rivals include the Volvo EX30 and Volkswagen ID.3. It slots above the future EV2 crossover, which is expected to start under $35,000.
Besides the EV3, Kia Asia-Pacific also showcased the EV5 and EV9 crossovers, as well as the Concept EV4 hatchback and the Concept PV5 commercial vehicle.
Baby EV9
The EV3 incorporates many styling cues from the larger, three-row EV9, which was officially launched in the Philippines last month.
These include the sharp kink at the top of the front windshield and the boomerang-style LED daytime running lights that incorporate the LED headlights. Both clusters are connected with an LED light strip that emphasizes the crossover’s width.
The EV3’s ruggedness is accentuated by the matte-black cladding on the fenders and the lower part of the doors, while the polished, two-tone alloy wheels offer a semi-retro look to a very futuristic car. Sharp character lines on the front and rear quarter panels, as well as electrically retractable door handles, break up the typical crossover blob shape.
At the back, the large LED taillights are like fiery red branches set on a gloss-black backdrop, emphasizing that this is a Kia EV. The steeply raked rear windscreen, tailgate spoiler and pert rear bumper give the EV3 a taut derriere.
Elegant cabin
Inside, the EV3 offers good space for five passengers and their things.
What first catches your eye is the huge display that takes up more than half the width of the dashboard – 12 inches for the instrument cluster, 12 inches for the touchscreen and 5 inches for the climate-control system. In addition, the gear selector has been moved to the steering column, providing space for storage and a sliding table between the front seats.
The EV3 also comes with an active-safety suite with electric dynamic torque vectoring control that helps distribute power for more controlled cornering. There’s also Digital Key 2.0 that lets you control the vehicle with your smartphone, as well as Kia’s first-ever Pedal 3.0 regenerative braking system.
Punchy powertrain
The EV3 is built on the familiar Hyundai Electric Global Modular Platform shared with the EV6 and EV9, as well as the Hyundai IONIQ 5, IONIQ 6 and luxury Genesis GV60.
In other markets, it is available with either a 58.3kWh or 81.4-kWh battery pack mated to a front-mounted electric motor. Combined output is 201 horsepower with a claimed 0 to 100 km/h time of 7.5 seconds for the standard model and 7.7 seconds for the long-range model.
Kia said the EV3 has a claimed maximum WLTP range of 605 kilometers, with DC fast-charging allowing for 10 to 80 percent capacity in up to 31 minutes.
Given that the EV6 and EV9 are already in the Philippines, how soon do you think the EV3 will join them?
