Kia will beat Rivian and Tesla into affordable mass-market EVs
Although Rivian and Tesla are making headlines with planned expansions into mass-market electric vehicles, Kia is set to launch two affordable EVs of its own. One of them, the Kia EV3, is expected to launch by the end of the year.
More affordable EVs are coming
Rivian unveiled its highly anticipated R2 electric SUV Thursday. The electric SUV will start at $45,000, with all trims boasting over 300 miles range.
At 4,715 mm long, 1,700 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,935, the R2 is smaller than Rivians current R1S electric SUV ( 5,100 mm x L, 1,873 mm x H, 3,075 x wheelbase). You can think of it more as the size of a Tesla Model Y.
Rivian’s CEO, RJ Scaringe, had a Steve Jobs moment, revealing “one last thing,” an even more affordable and compact R3. It will include a tri-motor R3X, Rivian’s first high-performance compact EV.
Scaringe announced the R2 was already generating strong interest, with over 68,000 reservations in under 24 hours.
To accelerate the launch, Rivian will build the R2 at its Normal, Illinois facility rather than its new plant in Georgia. The more affordable Rivian R2 is set to begin production in the first half of 2026, and Rivian’s R3 will follow.
Rivian isn’t the only EV maker making a push into cheaper, mass-market electric cars. Tesla is also planning to launch next-gen EVs. Although Tesla initially planned to build them at its new Gigafactory in Mexico, an excerpt from CEO Elon Musk’s biography said the next-gen EVs will be made in Texas.
Kia is launching cheaper mass-market EV
Although Rivian and Tesla are getting all the attention, Kia has big plans to enter the mass market with more affordable EVs.
Kia has found recent success with its first three-row EV9 electric SUV. In the first two months of 2024, Kia sold 2,726 EV9 models in the US, outpacing the EV6 crossover.
|
Kia EV9 Trim |
MSRP (including $1,495 destination fee) |
EPA Est. Range (miles) |
| Light RWD | $56,395 | 230 |
| Light Long Range RWD |
$60,695 | 304 |
| Wind e-AWD | $65,395 | 280 |
| Land e-AWD | $71,395 | 280 |
| GT-Line e-AWD | $73,900 | 270 |
The EV9 starts at $54,900, but the sporty GT-Line will run you nearly $74,000. Meanwhile, Kia looks to get back to its roots with more affordable EVs, including the EV3 and EV4.
Kia revealed the EV3 and EV4 concepts during its first annual EV Day in October. The new EVs are part of Kia’s wide-ranging electric car lineup, priced between $30,000 and $80,000.
The EV3 is expected to be the lowest-priced model, with starting prices around $30,000. Kia’s entry-level EV3 represents the brand’s vision of an all-electric compact crossover. It takes design, tech, and other features from the EV9 and puts it into a smaller, more affordable package.
Kia is expected to launch the EV3 later this year, if not by the end of 2024 or early 2025. If true, that will beat Rivian’s R2 (2026) and Tesla’s next-gen EVs, which are expected in late 2025.
The EV4, Kia’s entry-level electric sedan, is expected to start at around $35,000. Kia describes the EV4 as an “entirely new type of sedan that stands as a symbol of innovation.”
Although the EV4 was also expected to launch by the end of 2024, local media reports claimed Kia VP Woo-Jeong Joo said it would be pushed back to early 2025. Kia’s leader said the move was to launch the models sequentially for maximum success.
Kia has already launched its compact EV5 electric SUV in China with starting prices around $20,000 (149,800 yuan).
Electrek’s Take
Kia has a real opportunity to redefine the brand with the more affordable mass-market EVs like the EV3 and EV4.
Although several cheaper electric cars are on the US market, like the Chevy Bolt EV and Nissan LEAF, both are being phased out in favor of upgraded versions. By launching at least one entry-level model by the end of the year, Kia can capture an early lead in the affordable EV market.
The second entry-level (EV4) electric car, due out early next year, can play a key role in Kia’s transition to EVs with few competitors outside the Tesla Model 3 and Hyundai IONIQ 6.
It’s not quite fair to compare Kia to Rivian and Tesla, as both EV makers are viewed as more “premium” brands. However, with affordable models, Kia can carve its spot in the EV market, a segment it’s known for.
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LiveWire, the electric motorcycle brand spun out of Harley-Davidson, has just announced its latest electric motorcycle model. The new LiveWire S2 Alpanista is built on the same platform as the brand’s last two models, leveraging the Arrow platform as a versatile foundation for several diverse bikes.
The Arrow platform first received its debut with the LiveWire S2 Del Mar, which was then followed by the S2 Mulholland.
LiveWire announced that a high-performance electric maxi-scooter would be produced on the Arrow platform, but not before the company rolled out the S2 Alpinista. “The Alpinista is LiveWire’s first sport standard,” explained the company, “equipped with 17” wheels and tires, blending the best of street, sport, and hyper-tourer characteristics.”
The recently unveiled S2 Alpinista is mechanically quite similar to the two previous models sharing the platform. The 10.5 kWh battery that serves as the main structure of the bike will offer a maximum range of 120 miles (193 km) per charge under city riding conditions. It can be recharged with a Level 2 charger from 20-80% in just 1 hour and 20 minutes.
The 433 lb (196 kg) bike can achieve a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time of just 3.0 seconds, thanks to its powerful 63 kW (84 hp) motor. The S2 Alpinista can also reach an electronically limited top speed of 99 mph (159 km/h).
Priced at US $15,999 and already available at LiveWire dealerships in North America and Europe, the S2 Alpinista officially becomes the most affordable LiveWire electric motorcycle available to date, undercutting the $16,249 S2 Del Mar electric street tracker and the $16,499 Mulholland electric sport cruiser.
“Alpinista reimagines the S2 by combining the urban agility of a supermoto with the do-it-all nature of a touring bike, creating a practical and thrilling sport standard,” explained the brand.
The smaller 17″ wheels help reduce the seat height of the bike, and combined with the Dunlop Roadsmart IV tires, the street-optimized bike is ideal for “both daily commutes and spirited rides through winding roads.”
The S2 Alpinista comes with 6-axis IMU from Bosch providing cornering-enhanced antilock braking and cornering-enhanced traction control systems, in addition to four preset ride modes and two custom modes.
Now the third model launched on the Arrow platform, the S2 Alpanista underscores the versatility of LiveWire’s workhorse. The approach was intended to allow the e-motorcycle offshoot to quickly innovate with multiple styles of motorcycles all sharing key structural and drivetrain components. The move has largely been seen as an engineering success, with three models hitting the road in under three years. However, sales have yet to reach targets set by LiveWire as the more premium electric motorcycle industry has experienced a rocky few years.
As a LiveWire S2 Del Mar owner myself, I can attest to both the performance and enjoyable experience of bikes built on the platform, though I do find myself in a somewhat smaller community than LiveWire had likely hoped for. With the backing of its powerful older brother H-D, which retains a controlling stake in the company, LiveWire has enjoyed the relative freedom to cruise for its first few years and focus on motorcycle development and rollouts, with profitability hopefully coming over the horizon in due time.
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