Okay, we all know that price is an obstacle to EV ownership for many people in the U.S. The list of new EVs with a starting MSRP below $40,000 is really thin, and just got thinner with the discontinuation -- at least for a while -- of the Chevy Bolt. Enter the Kia EV3. So far it exists in concept form only, but the automotive press thinks a production version is coming, probably for 2026 -- but they're less sure that it's coming to the U.S. This is exactly the sort of car I'll want when my 2020 Kona EV is ready to be traded in. I have zero interest in something big and clunky -- even the new Kona is bigger than I'd like. How do we convince Kia to bring it stateside?
First, you must convince stateside car buyers they don't want the largest SUV or pickup truck they can get on a 7-year payment plan (good luck with that). If the Hyundai Ioniq 6, which is the only Korean EV car sold in the US, is successful, perhaps the company will give the mini-SUV EV3 a go here. I wish they'd make a hot-hatch competitor for the MINI Cooper SE and the VW e-Golf (good luck with that, too).
I would say the Chevy Bolt already proved that a market already exists in the U.S. for affordable, compact EVs. GM killed it to focus on its Ultium products, but the market is there.
Well, Kia's USA website does have a link to contact the corporate office, so I sent them a message saying I want them to bring the EV3 here. Probably one email is not enough to convince them, but hey, I would seriously think about buying one if it comes here in a couple years (though I would also be happy with a small sedan, hatchback or coupe).
