Kia launches EV2 and plans to overtake Tesla. The car has been spotted in Korea
By ForGeeks A camouflaged vehicle that is likely the company’s expected affordable compact crossover has been spotted in Korea. The Kia EV2, a small and affordable electric crossover from the automaker, has been spotted outdoors in camouflage. This is the first time the model has been spotted in the wild, though the EV2 is currently unconfirmed for the U.S.
The EV2 has not been confirmed for the United States.
The timing of the model’s appearance is particularly important given recent news that Tesla may have canceled its plans for a $25,000 mass-market car «Model 2». Elon Musk has reportedly mothballed the affordable EV in favor of the company’s plans for a fully autonomous robotaxi.
An affordable EV has been mothballed in favor of the company’s plans for a fully autonomous robotaxi.
The official price of the Kia EV2 hasn’t been set yet, but Electrek says it could be 20 million won, or about $15,000. Other reports suggest it won’t exceed $30,000, which is considerably more affordable than the current average EV retail price of about $52,000. Many EV makers over the years have promised to create low-cost electric vehicles for the masses, but not many have gone beyond the concept. Chinese automakers have introduced a number of very cheap EVs, such as BYD’s $11,500 Seagull, but none are available in the U.S. due to high tariffs.
Volkswagen has said it plans to eventually introduce a $26,000 EV called the ID.2all, and Ford has a skunkworks division that is currently working on a line of cheaper EVs. Kia and sister automaker Hyundai have unveiled several competitively priced EVs on a common E-GMP platform, including the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and 6 and the Kia EV6 and EV9. Kia’s EV6 in particular has been a hit in the US and is a worthy alternative to Tesla’s Model 3 and Y. The Kia EV9, introduced earlier this year, is generating massive interest from those who need three rows of seats and want to make the switch to electric vehicles. Kia also plans to launch an EV3 crossover and an affordable EV4 sedan this year. Meanwhile, sales of the EV5, a smaller version of the EV9, have started in China.
Sales of the EV5, a smaller version of the EV9, have begun.
