New Kia EV3 reveals how the Korean model’s daring aesthetic method works at any scale

Simply over a decade in the past, Wallpaper* printed its first article on Kia as ‘one to observe’. Ten years on, the beforehand value-led South Korean model has change into established as a maker of well-built mainstream international automotive merchandise and extra just lately, a fascinating premium contender within the particularly full-electric EV section. 

Kia EV3 electrical crossover revealed

Kia’s constant give attention to sturdy design has been the important thing, through numerous glorious hires from extra established and historic marques, together with Audi, Bentley and BMW, and this method is exhibited completely in its new Kia EV3 small crossover. 

It’s the second main EV to launch underneath the watchful eye of Karim Habib, Kia’s international head of design since 2019 and shares the geometric-and-chunky exterior method of its a lot larger brother – the 5m-plus lengthy Kia EV9 – however in a way more compact and inexpensive bundle. 

Kia insiders are fast to namecheck the Volvo EX30 as a rival and though the EV3 is a little bit longer, the 2 autos’ equally good designs and shared emphasis on sustainability provides that view credence. Primarily based on an EV-only platform with a alternative of two battery pack sizes positioned between the axles, cabin house is maximised and entrance and rear overhangs minimised. 

From a design perspective, to stability the pushed-forward windscreen on the entrance, there’s a thick body-coloured C-pillar a the rear, horizontally cut up by a gloss-black part close to the roof. This sturdy graphically led method is mirrored within the entrance and rear sections – and within the uncommon wheel designs – through rigorously positioned black components to interrupt up the physique color.

Living proof, the EV3’s sides have a decrease floor clearance than common for a crossover, to assist obtain a commendable 0.26 Cd aerodynamic determine – however that better bodyside depth is visually offset by a moustache-shaped black ‘rocker panel’ element. 

Take a better look and there are some neat chamfered edges to the physique work as properly, which rigorously assist to combine the entrance and rear mild clusters and clean transitions in floor, materials or shutlines.

The inside is a peaceful design – identical to the EV9 – and shares its three-screens-in-one-frame driver infotainment method, plus an excellent smattering of bodily buttons and switches. 

The EV3 has been thought-about for its operate whereas stationary in addition to whereas transferring. Within the centre, between the entrance seats, Kia designers have built-in a good-sized horizontally deploying entrance desk that slides out from the centre console to offer a sensible resting place for meals, drink or perhaps a laptop computer when the automotive continues to be (maybe whereas charging). As VP of Kia inside design Jochen Paesen explains: ‘It’s not nearly driving, it’s about that “lounge” really feel and multi-use case situation.‘

For a compact automotive, rear legroom and headroom is superb and it doesn’t really feel like a second-class expertise in comparison with the entrance.  Good gray marl-style cloth wraps across the higher entrance seatbacks and smartphone charging factors are usefully built-in halfway up each seatbacks’ sides. The boot’s flat ground that may be lowered to create more room and the EV3’s charging cables have their very own devoted house underneath the entrance bonnet.

Recycled plastic PET is deployed throughout the seats, headliner and ground mats, amongst ‘Ten Should Have’ sustainable objects that Kia has enforced upon itself. There’s a welcome layer of transparency to this method too, within the form of a small QR code printed on the far passenger facet fringe of the dashboard that, through a smartphone click-through to a web site, highlights the place Kia’s recycled supplies are getting used.