Kia has had a busy 2023. The company launched facelifted versions of both the Seltos and Sonet SUVs earlier this year, and it's looking to build on that success with ambitious plans for 2024.
To get
there, Kia is preparing itself by launching new products- and more refreshed
existing ones in the near future. It certainly looks like it will have its
hands full until then, but one major gap in its lineup so far has been an
electric offering.
Kia
apparently wants to correct that as soon as it practically can. The company is
preparing to launch new products in the coming years. The part of that plan
will include considering a “new compact electric SUV to meet [the] evolving
needs of an Indian consumer who is richer now than ever before.”
This sort of reads like a confirmation that Kia wants to compete with Tata’s new Nexon.EV compact SUV!
Kia’s New Compact EV SUV Would Possibly Make a Debut in Early 2025
It is well
known that Kia’s answer to the Tata Nexon.EV will be a new sub-compact electric
SUV for the Indian masses. Myung-Sik Sohn, the Chief Sales and Business Officer
of Kia India, confirmed this in a media interaction.
Sohn also
said that the car would rival the massively popular Nexon.EV. The next
all-electric SUV from Kia will be an undoubtedly more premium offering complete
with modern features and design.
Its formal
launch can now be expected no earlier than very early in 2025 as confirmed by
Sohn himself. This is Kia’s initial venture into the cheap EV sector!
Tata Motors (for the time being) seems to be ahead among other carmakers with its affordable electric vehicles such as Nexon.EV, Tiago.EV, and the Tigor.EV.
This New EV SUV Might also be an EV Version of the Kia Sonet!
At this
stage, there is virtually no information available on the upcoming Kia electric
sub-compact SUV.
However, it
is believed that this EV could very well be an all-electric version of the Kia
Sonet and thus serve as a more premium alternative to cars like the Tata Nexon.EV.
Kia could
decide to equip its new electric SUV with a brand-new platform which would be
designed specifically for EVs like its big brothers, the Lyriq-inspired EV6 and
the (upcoming) sharper flagship EV9!
India is
the world’s fifth-largest economy and full of opportunity. However, Tata Nexon.EV-
a sub-compact as well- leads the way when it comes to electrification in the
country.
Its
competitors include an eclectic mix of vehicles such as Mahindra’s XUV400, MG
Motor’s ZS EV, and Hyundai Kona Electric; but its biggest rival could come from
within Korea itself.
Hyundai is
developing an all-electric version of its Creta SUV to eventually replace the
now relatively pricey Kona Electric while Maruti Suzuki will launch its
ambitious eVX electric SUV concept sometime before 2024.
Honda for its part plans on introducing an all-electric version of its radical Elevate sometime before 2025. So, we can expect a tough competition between Kia’s next EV and all these current and newer gen ones!
The Bottom Line
With the
EV6 and now Kia's entry into the sub-compact SUV segment, Indian buyers are
getting more options in the niche electric crossover space.
It’s not
just these two segments though: Kia has prioritized India with its focus on
refreshing its Sonet and Seltos SUVs - which it sells globally (and under a
different name, Trailster, in some markets)- and introducing its Carens MPV
here.
Its most
premium model that will be sold here is the EV6 but that might soon change once
Kia starts selling the all-new Carnival MPV here.
Also
noteworthy would be how fast Kia has followed up to give to Indians an electric
version of what could become a significant vehicle for it; there have been
whispers about plans for an EV9 as well!
Let’s see
what Kia has in store for the Indian EV market!