Kia To US — No EV4 For You! – CleanTechnica

---

Support CleanTechnica’s work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe.

---

Everyone in the US is crying about how America needs an affordable electric car. We get all weak in the knees when Robyn Denholm suggests that someday — God willing and the creek don’t rise — Tesla might offer a truly affordable mass market vehicle — hopefully before the tricentennial. Kia actually has an affordable EV in production — the EV4 — a car that is being considered for European Car Of The Year honors.

The Kia EV4 is built on the E-GMP 400 volt platform and will offer two battery options. A 58.3 kWh battery is standard on the entry level Light model, while the upmarket Wind and GT-Line versions will be fitted with an 81.4 kWh battery. It offers a choice of two batteries — 58.3 and 81.4 kWh — and two body styles — a hatchback and a fastback sedan.

Earlier this year, Kia said the starting price in the US would be around $37,000, which would make it one of the most affordable electric cars offered in America. Since then, however, GM and Nissan have announced new electric models that start under $30,000 — the second generation Chevy Bolt and the newest iteration of the Nissan LEAF. And Tesla has lowered the starting price of the Model Y and Model 3.

But whether the EV4 would be a direct competitor to the Model 3 is now a moot point, as Kia has elected not to bring the car to the US after all. There are a number of factors that have gone into that decision. For one, the federal incentives for EV buyers have now been rescinded by the current administration, which has sworn to leave no stone unturned in its quest to prop up the dying fossil fuel industry.

Second, since 2012, imports from South Korea have been allowed into the US duty free. That all changed in January when the incoming so-called president awoke in the middle of the night and decided to slap a 25 percent tariff on cars manufactured in South Korea. By groveling and kissing the new president’s ass — something that is now standard procedure for any country that wants to do business in the United States — the pudgy potentate of the Potomac rolled back that initial tariff to a mere 15 percent.

Humiliation Is Not A Good Business Tactic

There is a third factor at work here. Earlier this year, the US government, reacting to complaints that there were a lot of Asian looking people running around loose in rural Georgia and stealing jobs from right thinking Amurikans, the Department of Homeland Security sent 500 of its troops agents to the Peach State to arrest all those furriners, place them in handcuffs and leg irons, and trot them off to prison for a week or so until cooler heads prevailed and the workers were all released so they could go back where they belong.

What the crackers in Georgia didn’t seem to know was that those workers were helping to construct a new battery factory to support the factory outside of Savannah where Hyundai and Kia intend to employ good old-fashioned red-blooded Americans to build automobiles. One local resident — who applauded the arrest of the workers — told the press he would never work at that factory because it was owned by foreigners. The fact that he had been laid off from his job at a paper mill and was currently unemployed did not seem to penetrate his consciousness.

Is it possible that Hyundai/Kia is taking a wait and see attitude before placing any more multi-billion-dollar bets on America while it is being held hostage by fascist lunatics? We leave you to make up your own mind on that subject.

US No Longer A Priority For EV4

In light of these developments, Inside EVs reports the US launch of the EV4 is no longer a priority for Kia and it is quite possible the electric sedan will never find its way to American customers. A spokesperson for the company confirmed this decision. “However, as market conditions for EVs have changed, the release of the upcoming EV4 electric sedan will be delayed until further notice.”

The Tesla Model 3 competitor is by no means the only electric car that, contrary to original plans, will either not be launched in the United States at all or will be launched much later than expected, Inside EVs adds. The Volkswagen ID.7 is also not slated to be imported to the US. The Nissan Ariya, which was experiencing disappointing sales in the US, was dealt a fatal blow by Trump’s punitive tariffs on car imports from Japan. As a result, that model is being withdrawn from US showrooms after only three years.

“Under different political conditions, the Kia EV4 Fastback would have had a good chance on the US market,” Electrive said. “The attractively priced sedan is positioned in one of the most popular segments, stands out visually from the crowd, offers a modern infotainment system and plenty of space, and is among the leaders in its segment in terms of range, with up to 633 kilometers (390 miles) of range” as determined by the European WLTP standard. EPA range is typically about 20 percent less.

“It also offers a high level of comfort, as the hatchback version proved in our test drive report. These attributes also apply to its technical sibling, the EV3, which is very popular in South Korea and Europe. The compact SUV was also originally intended to be offered in the US, but Kia seems to have changed its mind about its US market launch,” Electrive added.

What Might Have Been

Whether the EV4 would be well received by US customers may never be known. The car does have underwhelming charging stats for a modern electric car, with the base model limited to a maximum charging power of around 100 kW and higher models doing no better than 122 kW. Those stats are quite underwhelming today. Although, Kia insists its cars can maintain peak charging power over a wider part of the charging spectrum than most competitors.

As Electrive concluded after road testing the car, “With the EV4, Kia has put a successful compact car with a striking design on the road, which impresses above all with its generous space, long range, and clear focus on comfort. In times when even the most sedate models are trying to be sports cars, its plush suspension tuning is a real blessing.” Would this car play in Peoria? We may never know.