The vehicle was first introduced as a futuristic concept vehicle last year, and now it will launch in South Korea this July, followed by Europe in the second half of the year. Kia representative Karla Gonzalez tells The Verge that EV3 is also confirmed for the US — but there’s no timing announced.
The EV3 will be the first production EV to get Kia’s voice-activated AI assistant that first popped up in the Kia K4. TechCrunch reports the assistant “is built off ChatGPT” but is heavily modified to let users plan trips, find entertainment, and more, according to Kia’s head of customer experience design, Pablo Martinez Masip. The feature will launch first in Korea and later in Europe.
The EV3 has an estimated 600km of driving range (about 373 miles) based on the European WLTP system — but the US EPA estimate is usually lower in comparison. That’s based on the EV3 long-range model that has an 81.4kWh battery, while a “Standard” model is also planned that has a 58.3kWh battery.
Kia will also make a sportier-looking “GT-line” model. The EV3 can accelerate from zero to 100km in 7.5 seconds, and its powertrain is based on Hyundai’s E-GMP platform.
As far as other tech inside the car, it comes with a similar screen setup found in other Kia EVs: two 12.3-inch screens for the instrument cluster and infotainment; a five-inch panel for HVAC; and a 12-inch heads-up display. There are also premium streaming apps built in courtesy of LG’s webOS-based auto platform. You can also download themes for the dashboard, including NBA-inspired ones.
On the outside, the design of the EV3 is heavily inspired by the large, boxy, and Soul-ful Kia EV9 and is designed to feel spacious for five passengers. Kia made it so you can fit personal items like backpacks on the ground and includes a sliding table that can accommodate a laptop. Since the EV3 has no gas engine up front, you’ll get a 25-liter (1,526 cubic inches) frunk, which is pretty small but consistent with the company’s other models.