Kia to produce the EV4 from March 2025

Kia could start manufacturing the EV4 in South Korea in March next year. The company may also build the upcoming electric sedan in overseas plants.

The new developments come from South Korea’s Electronic Times, which also says Kia will complete the development of the final version of the EV4 in February next year. The company previewed the upcoming electric sedan with a concept version in October last year and is currently testing camouflaged prototypes of the showroom-bound car in South Korea and overseas. It will complete the testing program at the end of the year.

Kia plans to manufacture the EV4 in Plant No. 2 at its first dedicated EV production facility in South Korea – AutoLand Gwangmyeong. The company has set an annual production target of approximately 70,000 units. However, it is considering building the EV4 in overseas factories as well, which would boost the output of the model and improve its availability.

The Kia EV4 should share the front-wheel drive (FWD) version of the Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) with the Kia EV3 small SUV. According to the report, it may have similar specifications, too. For reference, the Kia EV3 employs only one motor that develops 150 kW and 283 Nm of torque and, depending on the configuration the customer selects, a 58.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh battery pack.

Officially, there’s no word on the classification of the Kia EV4 or its dimensions. According to an earlier report from Electronic Times, it will be a compact sedan. Thus, it should offer customers a zero-emission alternative to cars like the Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, and VW Jetta. For the same reason, it may find more customers in North America and Asia than in Europe.

The Kia EV4 should have a unique character that combines the shape of a sedan with a few design cues of a crossover. Inside, the upcoming EV may have a minimalist design that helps it look upmarket and emphasises its spaciousness. It will likely feature a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 5-inch climate control touchscreen, and a 12.3-inch AVN touchscreen, all integrated into a free-standing single panel on the dashboard. Its premium technologies may include a 12-inch head-up display, i-Pedal 3.0 regenerative braking, Kia Digital Key 2.0, Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) charging, and AI voice assistant as well.

The production start of the EV4 was initially planned for late 2024. Already in January, Kia CFO Woo-Jeong Woo said that it would be delayed by a few months. An announcement that Korean media at the time interpreted to mean a “decision to improve product quality.”

Following the EV4, Kia plans to launch the EV2 and the India-focused Carens EV by 2026. The South Korean automaker aims to sell 1.15 million EVs annually from 2027 and grow that number to 1.6 million in 2030.

etnews.com (in Korean)