Kia UK has unveiled an electric restomod of the first car it sold here, the Pride hatchback, with almost twice as much power as the original.
Based on a 1996 Pride LX from the company’s heritage fleet, it has been converted to electric power by Oxfordshire-based firm Electrogenic.
The 60bhp 1.3-litre petrol engine has been swapped for a 107bhp electric motor, which remains mated to the original five-speed manual gearbox “to ensure maximum driver engagement”.
Kia UK expects the Pride EV to dispatch the 0-62mph sprint in around 8.0sec and said it will independently verify the car’s acceleration and performance later this year.
The 37-litre fuel tank has been swapped for two 10kWh battery packs – one fitted under the bonnet and one under the boot floor – combining for a total 20kWh in capacity.
That yields a range of around 120 miles per charge in the car’s Eco driving mode, Kia said, although Sport mode naturally reduces this figure.
The Pride EV can be recharged at up to 3.3kW via a Type 2 connector fitted under the fuel filler door, taking around six hours to go from 1-100%.
Inside, it retains its original instrumentation, with the fuel level dial adapted to show the battery's state of charge.
The conversion to electric power has meant that the Pride has put on an extra 20kg (going from 850kg to 870kg), but Kia UK said the gains in power make up for the extra heft.
Visually, the Pride EV is almost indistinguishable from the original Pride, wearing its original 12in steel wheels and plastic bumpers.
It has been resprayed from Kingfisher Blue to the White Pearl finish offered on the Kia EV3, EV6, EV9 and Niro EV and the lights at both ends have been uprated.
Inside, it's trimmed in grey cloth with lime-green piping referencing the shade used on the flagship EV6 GT.
The Pride EV is intended as a celebration of Kia’s 80th birthday, the Korean company having been established as a bicycle component manufacturer in 1944.
It began building cars in 1974 and first exported one to the UK in 1991.
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They missed a trick there, they could have painted it in rainbow colours and sold it as the Kia Pride LGBTQ+ Edition
I can remember well when the Kia Pride came on sale in the UK in June 1991 when the range was sold through FSO dealers, it was available with two engines a 1-1 and 1-3 litre Mazda B series engines in three and five door body styles a four door saloon and five door estate car were sold in Europe but not here in Blighty. There were two trim lines L which came in three door only and LX which which had both bodies. The UK Pride was virtually the same specification as the Ford Australia Festiva and for the price was quite well equipped compared to similar offerings in the same price bracket. I had three LX 's one three door the others had five,they were tough reliable cars drove them over 100k miles in six years and the only thing that failed was the horn. Even then Kia were producing a quality product and it's good to see how the company has progressed over the past three decades from it's early days