There’s no denying that Kia is on a roll with its EV design language. The spaceship-sleek EV6 still turns heads, and the upcoming EV9 and EV5 SUVs feel like a breath of fresh, boxy air on the staid sport-utility formula. Now Kia has a new EV concept, the EV4 sedan – and it’s certainly unlike anything else on the road.
The car’s overall shape, which I would describe as a rolling polygon, makes it look suction-cupped to the ground. The headlights are inspired by LeMans prototype racecars, with their extreme side offset and ultra-narrow vertical arrangement. Kia has a lot of… words to say about this design, but I’ll go ahead and consolidate it for them (and you): This thing is rad as hell. You know, subjectively speaking.
Kia has yet to release substantive specifications for the EV4 Concept. Still, given the body and interior shots, I suspect the more extreme elements could get some toning down when a production version is revealed (I do hope they offer those triangle wheels, though). Apparently, it’s also quite tall, splitting the difference between a CUV and a typical sedan. However, the proportions and silhouette don’t betray that fact – another sign of great design.
The rear-end is perhaps the biggest callout to its nominal stablemate, the larger EV6. The rear liftback bulge is a dead ringer for it, not that that’s something to complain about; the EV6 is an absolute beauty from every angle.
Could this be an electrified successor to the Stinger GT ICE sedan? I could see it, though everything about this car feels pretty fresh. While it undoubtedly fits in with Kia’s larger EV design language, it’s distinctive and bold and looks like something out of a video game set 50 years in the future. Aesthetics are certainly a matter of taste, but the rise of EV platforms has allowed vehicle designers much more freedom to experiment with daring lines and layouts. Here’s to more of that.
The interior also looks pretty great, but very concept car-ish. I’d suspect that the final version of the inside of this car will be where the most changes are made. The square wheel, in particular, feels unlikely to make final cut. Those pedals are pretty interesting, though!
There’s no news about when we might expect a more production-ready EV4, but it’s a logical next step in Kia’s EV lineup. Hopefully we’ll know more sooner rather than later.