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.

  • Rover Sig The range of salaries (and of wealth in general) is now quite extended. There are people who live on $30K a year and drive a 30 year old Ford Ranger (the most loyally loved truck in America). There are couples who each make $250K a year, $500K total, and $90K luxo SUV is nothing to them. I see this range of vehicles every day in Northern Virginia/Maryland. The vehicle makers want to sell to just the high end folks, but they are only 10-20% of the population and can't sustain the industry. The companies need to sell a bit of something to everyone on the spectrum of wealth.
  • Tassos Even if you ARE interested in a BEV, this is ABSOLUTELY LAUGHABLE. NO EXCUSES.The RANGE is DISMAL, and yet they ask... $38k for it? Are you OUT OF YOUR STUPID MIND, NISSAN? I would not pay HALF that for such an underperformer!
  • Akear I told a friend why did you pay $100,000 for an excreable GM truck. He had no logical answer.
  • Bd2 According to May sales data, sales of vehicles under $40k and over $60k increased market share.
  • SPPPP I suspect that margins will still be quite substantial, even with the discount.
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