It looks like there’s more to the Kia Imagine concept than the automaker initially suggests. Before this, it simply said that the Imagine will sit on a new bespoke electric platform shared with Hyundai, and will offer up to 500 km of range on a single charge. Now, an Autocar report is saying that the Imagine will turn out to be a high-end, high-performance flagship, and it’s due to arrive in 2021.
Kia’s product planning boss, Pablo Martínez said the new car is “as significant in showing our EV capability for the future as the Stinger was for showing how far Kia had progressed when it was launched.”
Company marking chief, Carlos Lahoz added that the car “will have significant effect on how consumers perceive Kia and its part in future electrification. We want it to demonstrate super-high performance levels but in a package that is different. Today there are lots of A- and B-segment electric cars and many high-end electric cars; we want something different.”
“We are not a premium brand, we are a mainstream brand, and we have to be true to that heritage. This car will be a halo and be priced as such, but it will demonstrate that you can get very high performance levels without having to pay the premium prices of, for instance, Tesla, BMW or Mercedes.”
The move is also part of its £19 billion (RM102.6 billion) strategy to transform the company into a maker of electrified vehicles and mobility solutions by 2025. Besides featuring a large battery, the 2021 EV will also get fast-charging, requiring just 20 minutes to charge from 20% to 80% when plugged into a 350 kW DC charger. This is thanks to an onboard 800-volt electrical system, of which is currently employed by the Porsche Taycan.
If you haven’t already known, the Rimac, a Croatian automaker which Porsche has a stake in, helped develop the Taycan. Hyundai has also invested in Rimac, and the partnership may see Rimac work on all the electric cars under its wings, including for Kia.
Kia Europe’s CEO, Emilio Herrera said: “Performance became a bit of a dirty word in the late 1980s and the 1990s, but we think electric cars can be fun without guilt. Look at Tesla. Performance is a key part of what it offers, and we believe our electric cars should do that too. The goal is apply Rimac’s knowhow across our range and give great performance to our cars.”
For the time being, Kia predicts that the costs for battery packs won’t be reduced to bridge the price gap between conventional and electric cars by 2025. However, Lahoz said the goal for introducing EVs is to “showcase Kia’s intentions to launch affordable electric vehicles.”
As for the Imagine-based EV, Lahoz said: “This is a halo car that sets the pace. But we must acknowledge it will act as a stepping stone to show what we can offer. Our goal is to offer electric or electrified cars in every segment from A to D.” Full electric versions of the the A-segment Picanto and B-segment Seltos are in the pipeline, too.
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inb4 KIA was setup in 1947. Yeah just after WW2.
If they actually see it like it is in the picture… but you know after a round of prototype to tone down the designs and all… it probably will look like… certain daun.
Rimac is a fraud! Rimac is no genius or inventor, with the money which his father Ivan Rimac stole, he buys components from various firms, like – AM Racing, and then says they are 100% R&D in Rimac automobili, and sells them as his own… He is also involved in Panama Papers money laundering.
You can read the truth about Rimac which corrupted Croatian media is forbidden to publish if you search for – Rimac pogled s druge strane