The electrification of the automotive sector is testing the engineering capabilities of manufacturers. The necessary technology represents a significant investment in terms of both money and manpower. This explains why it's proving so difficult to lower the price of electric vehicles, as the break-even point—where costs are covered by sales prices and a profit margin is still not reached—has not yet been reached. The whole situation is chaotic.
These, and others, are the reasons why manufacturers have begun electrifying the sector in the higher segments. The big problem is that they now have to scale up to the lower segments—urban and compact cars—because that's where they'll encounter the most challenges. Making money with an electric city car is more difficult than with a large, five-meter SUV. But there's one brand and one model that wants to revolutionize the equation: the new Kia EV2 …
The Kia EV2 will be located in the range below the EV3 and its size would range between 4 and 4,20 meters...
As you know, manufacturers like the Volkswagen Group and Stellantis have set out to disrupt the sector with a series of affordable electric vehicles . They've set a minimum price of €25, arguing that anything lower would mean they wouldn't make a profit and would therefore face future financial difficulties. This presents a significant challenge, as you can't currently buy anything remotely decent for that price beyond an MG4…
The main difference between this MG4 and the models offered by Volkswagen, Stellantis, and Kia lies in their market segment. Indeed, these electric vehicles priced at around €25 are city cars , while the SAIC Motor model is a full-fledged compact. However, each of the aforementioned manufacturers has devised different solutions. The VAG models will be strictly urban (4 meters long), while Stellantis will offer a wider variety…
Next up is the Kia EV2, which is poised to shake up the market. Its name tells us it will be positioned below the upcoming EV3 and EV4 . Furthermore, it will straddle the lineup between city cars and compacts, taking advantage of the latter's significant growth to offer an exterior length between 4 and 4,20 meters . This will be the key to offering more value for money and appealing to a wider audience.
For this it will be manufactured on the E-GMP platform in Slovakia…
As we've discussed countless times, the only way to lower the cost of a product is to scale its technology. To achieve this, manufacturers are working at full speed on their new modular platforms for electric vehicles . Kia and its parent company Hyundai have created the E-GMP platform , which already underpins the EV6 and EV9, as well as the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6. Therefore, the starting point for this future EV2 will be this same platform, albeit modified to be simpler and cheaper.
Where Kia won't be cutting costs is in the manufacturing of the EV2 . The company announced some time ago that all the electric vehicles it sells in Europe will be manufactured on the continent starting in 2025. Therefore, this EV2 will be no exception, and the reason for this is very simple: European manufacturing equals quality and a good image . However, this model is still in its early stages, and its arrival is still a couple of years away, so we'll have to be patient…
We will be aware then…
Source – Carsales
