Kia working on high-performance EV for 2021

Friday, 21 February 2020

Kia has revealed its new-look for the Sorento SUV, inspired by the small Seltos that has just arrived in New Zealand.

Kia wants the world to know it has what it takes to compete at the pointy end of performance and it will do that with a new, fully electric halo car.

Speaking to Autocar UK, Kia's product planning chief, Pablo Martínez Masip, said it would be 'significant in showing our EV capabilities for the future,' similar to how the Stinger showed how far Kia had progressed back when it was launched.

According to the British publication, the EV will be based on last year's Imagine concept, taking the form of a crossover larger than the existing Niro EV and Soul EV models.

Kia's flagship EV could be a production version of last year's Imagine concept.

Kia's marketing chief, Carlos Lahoz, added that Kia will remain a mainstream brand but the new model will 'demonstrate that you can get very high performance levels without having to pay the premium prices of, for instance, Tesla, BMW or Mercedes.' Colour us interested.

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Initial specification rumours include a range of up to 500km with 20 to 80 per cent charge times of 20 minutes thanks to an 800-volt architecture connected to a 350kW charger.

We wouldn't be surprised to see Rimac influence in the powertrain department, as Kia has previously invested in the Croation company.

Kia reckons battery costs will fall enough so that EVs and conventionally powered vehicles will cost a similar amount by 2025. However, Lahoz said that the halo car will be a 'stepping stone' to showcase what the brand can do.

The South Korean brand wants to offer 11 electric cars by 2025, with the high-performance crossover to the first off the mark.