Kia to sell lower-priced electric vehicle in US, launches all-new EV3

South Korean automaker Kia has announced on Wednesday that it will begin selling a lower-priced electric vehicle in the United States later this year, in a bid to recharge its EV sales across the country. The move comes as EV sales have been dwindling after the United States Congress repealed the $7,000 EV tax credit last year. However, soaring gas prices in recent weeks due to tensions in the Middle East have renewed interest in electric vehicles.

To grasp the renewed interest in EV vehicles, Kia revealed the all-new 2027 Kia EV3 today at the New York International Auto Show, which opens to the public this weekend. The new EV3 is a small SUV utility vehicle that will serve as an affordable entry point in Kia’s growing lineup of EVs. The car is expected to go on sale later this year.

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The EV3 has already been on sale in South Korea for almost two years, followed by several European countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand. The EV3 has witnessed substantial demand in those markets. In North America, the car will compete against the likes of the Chevrolet Bolt, which starts at $28,995, and the Nissan Leaf, starting at $31,485.

The US version of the Kia EV3 is expected to have a 320-mile (514 km) EPA-rated battery range on certain variants, comfortably higher than the 300-mile mark that may become the new US standard for buyers concerned about range. The new design takes styling cues from the bigger EV9, a three-row SUV.

Kia offers two battery options: a 58.3 kWh pack driving only the front wheels with a projected range of 220 miles, which will serve as the entry-level variant, and an 81.4 kWh battery with optional all-wheel drive, standard on GT models. The motor output is about 261 hp on the all-wheel-drive model, rising to 288 hp on the higher-performance EV3 GT model.

The EV 3  has a claimed charging time of 10% to 80% in just 29 minutes. The interior if the EV is packed with features such as a 12.3-inch horizontal display across the dashboard, a head-up display, and a surround-view monitor. To keep costs down, the EV3 is built on the Hyundai-Kia E-GMP battery electric platform. The EV3 uses a 400V battery architecture, unlike the 800V system on the EV6 hatchback and EV9 three-row SUV, its larger siblings.

Reports suggest that the EV3 will be assembled in Mexico at the same Kia plant that builds the K4.