Kia to reveal performance EV concept in Geneva

Kia will unveil a performance-focused, four-door electric concept at the Geneva motor show next week that the firm says will show its “desire to move forward” with electrification.

The car maker confirmed the concept last week with a preview image of its front end (below). Now it has released two more images – one of its futuristic interior and another of its front wheel arch and bumper.

Kia said the concept draws together “a muscular SUV, a sleek and athletic family saloon and a versatile and spacious crossover”.

If it makes production, the car would be Kia’s third electric model, sitting alongside the Soul Electric and Kia e-Niro.

The as-yet-unnamed concept’s grille is described as a “tiger mask”, a reinterpretation of Kia’s well-known tiger nose grille. Kia said the illuminated tiger mask grille marks out the show car “as a Kia for the 21st century”.

The interior, which is described as “airy and spacious”, features 21 individual high-resolution screens in “a humorous riposte to the industry’s current obsession with ever-increasing dashboard screens”, said Kia.

Gregory Guillaume, vice-president of design for Kia Motors Europe, said Kia’s Frankfurt-based design team aimed to design a car that “answered consumer concerns around range, performance, recharging networks and driving dynamism, but one that also gave you goosebumps when you looked at it”. 

Kia has not released any information about the concept’s powertrain, but it is likely to feature a variation of the 64kWh motor in the range-topping variant of the e-Niro crossover. This unit produces 201bhp, but could be tuned for an enhanced power output at the expense of range. 

The Korean company is pushing forward with its strategy to expand its portfolio of electrified production models. As well as the Soul Electric and e-Niro, a plug-in hybrid version of the Ceed estate will go on sale in the second half of this year.