Kia’s low-cost EV3 is about to get even better with new variants on the way
Kia confirmed plans to launch new AWD and GT variants for its electric EV3 SUV. The EV3 is the first of Kia’s new low-cost EV lineup as it looks to challenge industry leaders.
It’s been almost a year since Kia first took the sheets off the EV3 during its first annual EV Day last October.
After opening orders this summer in Korea with prices starting at just $30,700 (KRW 42.08 million), Kia’s new electric SUV racked up over 10,000 reservations in 23 days. With incentives, Kia said the EV3 could be bought for under $30,000
Following the successful launch, Kia’s vice president, Jeong Won-Jeong, called the EV3 a “game changer” in its home market.
Last month, Kia opened EV3 orders in the UK. Starting at $42,300 (£32,995), Kia called it the “brand’s most affordable EV yet.” Like in Korea, the EV3 is offered in four trims: Air Standard Range, Air Long Range, GT-Line, and GT-Line S.
Based on Hyundai’s E-GMP platform with advanced new tech, the EV3 gets up to 372 miles (600 km) WLTP driving range. In Korea, it’s rated with up to 311 miles (501 km) range.
Powered by its fourth-gen (81.3 kWh) battery, the EV3 packs about 22% more energy density than its Niro EV.
Kia EV3 to gain AWD and GT variants
Kia confirmed plans to launch new AWD and GT variants on Wednesday, expanding the lineup beyond the current 2WD models.
The news comes after Kia sold over 4,000 EV3 models last month. Kia’s new electric SUV was a bright spot in August despite overall sales slipping in Korea (-4.1%) and overseas (-1.4%).
Kia is expected to launch the EV3 in the US early next year as it expands to new markets. Ahead of its official debut, the compact electric SUV has already been spotted testing on US streets.
The EV3 is expected to be among the most affordable electric options in the US, with prices around $30,000 to $35,000.
With plans to build the EV3 at its Monterey plant in Mexico by the end of 2024, Kia could take advantage of the federal EV tax credit, enabling even lower starting prices.
At 4,300 mm long, 1,850 mm wide, and 1,560 mm tall, the EV3 is about the size of a Chevy Bolt EUV (4,306 mm length x 1,770 mm width x 1,616 mm x height).
| Kia EV3 trim | Range (WLTP) |
Starting Price |
| Air Standard Range | 267 miles | $42,300 (£32,995) |
| Air Long Range | 372 miles | $46,200 (£35,995) |
| GT-Line | 347 miles | $50,750 (£39,495) |
| GT-Line S | 347 miles | $55,300 (£42,995) |
After its second consecutive record-breaking sales month in the US, Kia is confident in the brand’s direction. The EV3 will join the EV6 and Kia’s new three-row EV9 as it looks to gain market share in the US.
Kia’s latest target is America’s leading EV brand. The company introduced a new Tesla Competitive Bonus Program this month, which offers up to $1,500 in savings for current Tesla drivers (see the details here).
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Kenworth has announced the addition of Bendix’ Fusion advanced driver assist system (ADAS) to its line of options on the T680 line of Class 8 commercial semi trucks – a lineup that includes the Next Generation T680E battery electric semi truck.
One of the many new trucks revealed at the 2025 ACT Expo in Anaheim, California earlier this year, the Next Generation Kenworth T680E featured the latest advancements in battery-electric technology, an enhanced exterior design, and a suite of new, in-cab technology that extends to the addition of three Bendix Fusion version: ADAS, ADAS PRO, and ADAS PREMIER.
All three of the announced ADAS packages offer updated Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with ACC Stop and Auto Go™, a new Pedestrian Autonomous Emergency Braking (PAEB) feature, and a new High Beam Assist feature to reduce the likelihood of blinding oncoming drivers supported by the addition of a new forward-looking camera.
Those updates are in addition to the ADAS units Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Multi-Lane Autonomous Emergency Braking, Highway Departure Braking (HDB), and Stationary Vehicle Braking (SVB), Lane Departure Warning, and Bendix® Blindspotter® Side Object Detection already available on previous versions of the ADAS-equipped Kenworth.
Kenworth migital mirrors
Now that we’ve got that acronym-loaded word-salad out of the way, we can get to the point: the newest generation of electric trucks is easier and safer to drive – and not just safer for the truck’s operators, but for the people who share the roads with them, too.
Kenworth T680E electric semi
The Next-Generation T680E is available with up to 605 peak hp and 1,850 lb-ft of torque from a PACCAR Integrated ePowertrain fed from a 500 kWh li-ion battery pack good for more than 200 miles of loaded range. The updated Class 8 BEV is rated up to 82,000 lb. gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR), and can get that load back up to speed quickly with a 350 kW peak charge rate that means the T680E can charge up to 90% in just two hours.
That system isn’t just more efficient than the first generation truck, it’s also more serviceable than it was before.
“This move to a fully integrated and ground-up PACCAR design means we were able to design for enhanced serviceability,” explains Joe Adams, Kenworth’s chief engineer. “Providing easier access to the Master Service Disconnects for improved safety and increased uptime and allowing the use of the DAVIE service tool for troubleshooting and diagnostics.”
The Next Generation Kenworth T680E electric semi truck is designed for short and regional-haul, LTL, and drayage operations. It’s available as a day cab as either a tractor or straight truck in a 6×4 axle configuration.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Kenworth; via Kenworth.
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Just like it says on the tin – retailers are advertising killer deals on the fun-to-drive Kia Niro EV, with one midwest auto dealer reporting more than $10,000 off the sticker price of the Niro EV Wind. That’s nearly 25% off the top line price!
SKIP THE STORY: get straight to the deals.
The Kia Niro EV gets overshadowed by its objectively excellent EV6 and EV9 stablemates – both of which are currently available with substantial lease cash and 0% APR financing, in fact – but that doesn’t mean it’s not an excellent little electric runabout in its own right.
The last time I had a Niro EV tester, my kids loved it, I liked that it was quicker and more tossable than I expected it to be, and my wife liked the fact that “it doesn’t look electric. It looks normal.” And, with well over 200 miles of real world range (EPA-rated range is 253 miles), it was more than up to the task of commuting around Chicago and making the trip up to the Great Wolf Lodge in Gurnee and back without even needing to look for a charger.
It’s not the primary family hauler I’d choose – but as a second car? As a primary car for a slightly smaller family (1-2 kids, instead of 3-4)? The Kia Niro EV Wind, with a $42,470 MSRP, seems like a solid, “can’t go wrong” sort of choice. You know?
You won’t even have to pay that much, though. Raymond Kia in Antioch, Illinois is advertising a $42,470 Niro EV for $32,431 (that’s $10,039, or about 24% off the MSRP), and several others are advertising prices in the $33,000 range.
And, while we’re at it:
Kia Niro EV gallery
SOURCE | IMAGES: CarsDirect, Edmunds, Raymond Kia.
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