Kia will launch a European-focused EV2 with a target price of around £25,000 in 2026 as part of a major expansion of its bespoke electric vehicle line-up.
The new machine, which was confirmed at the company's first EV Day event in Seoul, South Korea, will follow the EV3 small SUV, EV4 saloon and EV5 family SUV, which will all go on sale within the next three years.
The four models will join the existing EV6 and flagship EV9 in Kia’s range of bespoke electric cars using the Hyundai Motor Group’s E-GMP platform. They will be key to the firm’s ambition to reach 1.6 million EV sales annually by 2030.
The production version of the EV3 will arrive next year, with the EV5 going on sale in 2025. The EV4 will follow in 2026 – when the smaller EV2 will also launch. Kia has yet to give any details of the model beyond its name but has said it will be a compact model designed with a focus on the European market and manufactured at Kia’s plant in Slovakia.
Speaking to Autocar, Kia CEO Ho-Sung Song said producing affordable EVs is “very important” for the brand, “especially for the European market that is in need of smaller [electric] vehicles too”.
The firm is working to a target starting price of $30,000 (£25,000), which would put it up against the likes of the Peugeot e-2008, Vauxhall Corsa Electric and Mini Cooper Electric.
Song said the EV2 is a “very unique and important model for the European market”, adding: “This is a smaller size of EV, a very European-style dedicated model.” He said Kia has a “very concrete plan” for the machine.
The European focus, price target and name – eventually allowing room for a smaller EV1 – imply it is likely to be a small B-segment machine. That could suggest a hatch, although given the popularity of SUVs and Kia’s focus on them in its EV line-up to date, it is likely to have some rugged crossover design cues.
It will doubtless get a different version of Kia’s ‘Tiger grille’ digital face, and a mix of sharp lines and smooth surfaces in keeping with the firm’s ‘Opposites united’ design strategy.
Kia has not disclosed any technical information, although it will sit on the same E-GMP platform as the other bespoke EV models. That means it would be technically possibly for it to have single- and twin-motor powertrains, although given the packing challenges of a smaller car and the more urban-focused driving of likely buyers, a twin-motor set-up is uncertain.
The EV3, EV4 and EV5 will all use a new version of the E-GMP modular architecture that runs at 400V, in part to keep costs down, and this version is also likely to be used for the EV2. As a result, it wouldn’t be capable of ultra-fast charging, although this is unlikely to be a major requirement of family buyers travelling shorter distances.
Notably, the EV2 will get a hot GT version: the firm has previously said it will offer a performance-led GT variant of every model in its EV line-up, and an official told Autocar that was still the intention, noting the popularity of performance cars with European buyers.
Production of the new model is due to start in Kia’s Slovakia factory – currently home to the Ceed and Sportage – in 2025, ahead of deliveries beginning the following year. The machine will be produced at the plant alongside another model in Kia’s EV range, although which has yet to be finalised. Given Kia has said it will focus on building small and medium-sized EVs in Europe, it is most likely to be the EV3 or EV4.
