Kia Imagine to morph into large sedan-crossover EV?

It looks like the SUV trend has given Kia more ideas to defy conventions. Meet the Kia Imagine, a sedan-SUV hybrid concept that the automaker intentionally designed to not sit within the industry’s “predefined vehicle categories.”

It’s effectively a large C-segment car, which Kia says is a size that’s incredibly popular in Europe. Kia Europe’s vice president of design, Gregory Guillaume, thinks of it as a category-buster and a disruptor, but the exterior design will undoubtedly raise more than a few eyebrows.

According to a report by Autocar, Kia’s next major EV project will be based on the Imagine, and Kia will give it a brand new name as a move to distance the EV portfolio with the current crop of cars. The automaker currently offers two electric models, the Niro EV and Soul Electric. A third, larger EV model will help achieve its goal of 6.6% global EV market share by 2025, the report added.

The Imagine will sit on a new bespoke platform that is shared with Hyundai, one that’s designed for future, more powerful EVs (both SUV and sedan) with longer range. Kia promises up to 500 km of range on a single charge, which is 45 km more than the electric Niro. The big target for Kia is to hit the 800 km mark for its EVs by the end of 2021.

Other than that, not much else – by way of technical details – is known about the new electric model. If it shares the same underpinnings as the more stylish Futuron concept, then expect the top variant to get four in-wheel electric motors, offering electric all-wheel drive and “lightning-fast” throttle response.

Meanwhile, Kia continues to aim for the sale of 40,000 EVs in order to meet the EU’s CO2 emissions target by 2021. It will develop a pure EV version of every model, including the A-segment Picanto and B-segment Seltos. What do you think of the Imagine, though?

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