Kia is gaining a high position in the market of Europe, in this line the brand is hoping to accelerate it with the recently launched Kia EV3. The brand launched its new affordable EV in Korea last month with the price tag of just over $30,000. And now Kia is aiming to take it to the market of Europe by early November.
Kia introduced it’s low-cost EV3 last October as part of a new affordable EV lineup. It is said that the new EV3 will be the smaller version of the Kia’s flagship EV9 in a smaller and cheaper frame. But it features Kia’s new design theme and software.
Vice president at Kia Corp, Won-Jeong said the new low-cost electric car will be a “game changer” in its home market. As the data reveals that after opening orders on June 4, 2024, the EV3 has earned over 10,000 reservations in under 23 days.
In an interview with Automotive News, Kia’s new European boss, Marc Hedrich said that the company has always seen the transition to EVs as a “bumpy road” rather than a straight line. He also added that despite recent criticism, “the curve is moving ahead and electric vehicle sales are moving up in Europe.”
The EV3 is built on the E-GMP platform, which is capable of up to 311 miles (501 km) range in Korea. Whereas the standard range model is rated at 217 miles (350 km).
This will join the growing lineup of Kia including EV9, EV6 and EV5 in China and added EV2, EV3 and EV4. Among them EV5 is also ready to hit the European market as Kia is looking to meet the demand of affordable electric cars.
According to the recent data Kia sold approximately 81,000 EVs in Europe last year which is 23% more from 2022. Kia is sharing 4.1% of Europeans sales, and expecting to more as the new EV3 arrives in the market.
However Hedrich wouldn’t share a specific sales number, despite saying that with the EV3 expected in Europe by early November, “our EV share will move consequently.”