The KIA EV2’s recent spy shots come with both good and bad news: It promises to be a $30,000 EV with an impressive range, but there’s no plan for a U.S. release yet.
Speaking to Autocar, KIA CEO Ho-Sung Song said making affordable EVs is “very important, especially for the European market that is in need of smaller [electric] vehicles too.” In other words, the EV2 will be a Europe-only vehicle, with no plans to release it in Korea either, KIA’s home country.
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What we know about the KIA EV2
The EV2 has been spotted on road tests, adorned with an all-black cover to mask its finer design details. From its overall shape, the EV2 seems to be fashioned after the KIA Soul, a small, sporty, but boxy SUV or crossover.
Some speculate that it will be about 13 feet in overall length and be the sister vehicle to the Hyundai Inster. Further speculation suggests that the range will be between 270 and 300 miles. KIA plans to start production in late 2025 at its Slovakia factory alongside a second EV.
According to a report from The Korean Economic Daily, “The LFP battery-powered EV2 will be priced between 20,000 euros ($29,000) and 30,000 euros to better compete against Chinese EVs, which have rapidly grown their share of the European EV market from 2.9% in 2020 to 18.2% in the first half of 2024 thanks to a flurry of affordable models.”
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Why the EV2 may not be coming to the US
Simply put, the US auto buyer covets large vehicles, and a small crossover or SUV does not fit that bill.
The KIA Niro is one of the brand’s worst-selling vehicles, and the EV2 appears to be about the same size as the Niro. By contrast, the Telluride and Sportage, KIA’s two largest SUVs, are some of its best-selling vehicles. SUVs account for 76 percent of the brand’s total sales in the United States, and its EV sales increased 74 percent year over year.
The American auto buyer wants large EV SUVs with a good range, whereas European buyers are more interested in small SUVs or crossovers.
Tesla
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Tesla may benefit from KIA’s move
Tesla says it’s still on track to begin production of the Model 2 (or Model Q) this year. Though it hasn’t said much about it, we know it’s set to be a sub-$30,000 EV, likely with a decent range.
Investors have been hawkishly waiting for the Tesla Model 2 to launch, as it’s widely believed to quickly become the company’s best-selling vehicle.
Nothing like Model 2 or EV2 currently exists in the United States. If left unchallenged, the Model 2 might dominate the segment and the streets.
Final thoughts
We’d love to see the EV2 come stateside for the same reasons Tesla investors really want the Model 2 to drop: We think a small, affordable EV with good range has massive potential that many overlook. And while the sales numbers may not show it, some buyers may change their outlooks if given the opportunity to purchase a small, affordable EV.
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