Hyundai unveiled its new Inster electric vehicle this week, as a funky new city car entrant that will join Australian showrooms next year. This got us thinking, will there be a Kia alternative, a Kia EV1 perhaps?
A quick trademark search on the Australia IP database reveals that yes, Kia has registered the ‘EV1’ name. It’s worth noting the names EV2 and EV3 (up to EV9) are also registered under Kia Corporation. But since this is a micro car, we’re going to assume it would get the EV1 name, following the EV3, EV5, EV6, and EV9.
According to a Top Gear article from May this year, Kia will use the EV2 name for, what the publication is calling, Kia’s “smallest, most affordable EV” that’s due for arrival in 2026. Quoted in the report, Kia Europe marketing chief, David Hilbert, said:
“It’s a car for Europe and it’ll be built in Europe at Žilina – that’s confirmed. Obviously, the small car segments are very important for the European market because of the densely populated cities and the challenges with parking etcetera. So that’s why EV2 is going to be an important car for us in the future, and I guess it will be the entry point to our dedicated EV lineup.”
That’s a pretty firm confirmation that there will be an EV2 on the way, although, that’s for Europe by the sounds of it. Registered trademarks don’t always translate to production models, but given EV1 is registered and is, literally, the smallest number, we wouldn’t be surprised if a small model comes along that slots under the European EV2.
There’s also a chance the EV2 badge could be reserved for the crossover model, with EV1 set for the regular hatchback model. Hyundai has already confirmed that the Inster will eventually spawn the ‘Inster Cross’ in the future.
In any case, the new model would no doubt borrow much of the powertrain setup from the Hyundai Inster. And in that, buyers will be offered either a 42kWh or 49kWh battery, with ranges spanning from 300km and 355km, respectively. We’d expect similar specs in the Kia.
Like the Inster, expect an innovative and practical interior, with folding and sliding rear seats, a surprisingly spacious boot (rated at up to 351L in the Inster), and plenty of modern technologies including twin 10-inch digital screens along the dash.
We’ve come up with some AI-generated renderings to provide some inspiration as to what it might look like. We’ve spent considerable time coming up with a specific prompt to feed the AI machine so it included some of Kia’s current and future design theme, based on existing vehicles and concepts. Feel free to tell us what you think in the comments below.
