Kia Introduces Two EV Concepts at 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

LOS ANGELES -- In addition to the updated 2024 Sorento, Kia has unveiled two concepts today at the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show -- the EV3 and EV4.


The EV3 is a crossover with an interior inspired by the upcoming Kia EV9 SUV and the EV4 is a four-door that is sort of a cross between a sedan and a crossover.

These are both mostly styling exercises, though they also use environmentally-friendly materials that Kia would like to use in production models going forward. One example will make cows happy -- the company wants to use bio polyurethane as a substitute for animal-based leather. And you thought the cows in the Chik-Fil-A ads were working to dodge bullets.

The EV3 has mood lighting and an uncluttered interior design, and it also has tables in the cabin. Yes, tables -- and they can be setup in one of four configurations.

Meanwhile the EV4 is inspired by race cars and has design element such as a rear spoiler and vertical headlamps. Inside, materials include recycled cotton, and hand-woven fabric creates an effect that appears to be 3D. The coolest trick is a HVAC control panel that can disappear when not in use.

[Images: Kia]

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Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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  • Dukeisduke Dukeisduke on Nov 17, 2023

    The EV9 is one of the three finalists for the NA Utility of the Year award (along with the Genesis GV80 and the Volvo EX30), but the EV9 has an underwhelming 230-mile range (EPA cycle).

  • Bd2 Bd2 on Nov 18, 2023

    The smaller EV3 looks better than the EV4.

  • EBFlex Man it’s good to be proven right, yet again. Ford is a complete disaster and Fartley needs to go asap. Hes cancer just like Mulally. This push into EVs has completely ruined Ford. And their dictator like demands of the dealers has been extremely unreasonable. It’s nice to see manufacturers suffering greatly from diving head first into EVs.
  • Theflyersfan Good step one here Honda because the Civic is a strong seller. Now let's hear about your Prius Prime fighter plug in hybrid Civic. They fell behind - the Insight never tore up the sales charts - I'd expect markups and wait lists given we might have a hybrid here that could be somewhat fun to drive.
  • SCE to AUX Absurd."seven vehicles being planned for the United States by 2027"If that's the total number of vehicles shipped, then it makes sense.True statement: "French automakers seem to have a real knack for building innovative vehicles and totally misunderstanding the American market"
  • Jkross22 All in this lease is $810-840/month after tax. Not horrible but by no means is this a deal. It's also a 30k mile lease, meaning you'll likely be paying more at the end for the extra miles plus the $500 disposition fee. So it's about 30 grand for the 3 years. No gracias.
  • Tane94 Answer: They can't.
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