Hyundai Ioniq & Kia EV Thread

[FT-1]

We've got a slightly more concrete answer to the size debate now that the Concept Three has been revealed. At least in concept form, it measures at 4288mm long, or 169 inches.

Hyundai shows radical 'aero hatch' concept – and it'll build it! | Autocar

Eye-catching EV concept to make production as family hatch; likely called Ioniq 3

www.autocar.co.uk

 

[05XR8]

As radical as the Veloster.

 

[DK]

That roofline reminds me of a MkV Supra that someone's tried to draw while blindfolded, and the yellow window tint reminds me of Hot Wheels.

 

[05XR8]

Moving this here so I don’t derail the Tesla thread.

I'm searching Tesla cars and can't find one I just saw, in my neighbourhood.
It's a small SUV with a square back. Almost like the Model X(?) crossed with a Skoda Yeti. Very weird.

It was definitely a Tesla with the front fascia. Default white. CUV. That square cargo area was out of place. The closest to that cargo area, is the Tesla S wagon, from Google images.

Sounds a lot like the facelifted Kia Soul.

I finally saw the small white SUV again out of luck! It’s definitely a KIA. What’s crazy is, I then saw another one, but in silver! It’s not a Soul as the fake grille looks like this, but bigger with big “KIA” letters on it. The letters are body coloured is why I couldn’t see it initially. I looked up the Kia e-Niro and that’s just not it. The rear of that looks nothing like the two cars I saw.

The rear is the same as I describe with a vertical rear glass, not quite like the rear hatch of a Renault Megane, but it’s a less dramatic similarity.

The treatment of the C-pillar is a thicker black piece than this.

I don’t know if the two cars I saw are test vehicles or imports. It’s weird because every KIA I’m searching have the name just above the grille or on the bonnet and older KIAs have the name on the grille. I saw the first one in 2023 and now again in 2025.

 

[05XR8]

Okay, looked again. This is it. The Niro Plus.

Kia Niro Plus experiment ends

Purpose Built Vehicle test over, as all vehicles sold

www.goauto.com.au

8 Jun 2023

By MATT CAMPBELL
KIA Australia has confirmed the end of its first Purpose Built Vehicle (PBV) program, with the Niro Plus model now no longer available to order.

The Niro Plus PBV was essentially a last-generation example of the small SUV that had been tweaked to suit ride-share driver needs specifically, with a taller roof and larger cargo area offering a more practical option than the existing ‘standard’ Niro model.

It was available in both hybrid ($41,710 plus ORC) and electric ($64,450 plus ORC) trims, and the brand says it was a successful pilot program that acted as a proof of concept for such a potential product path.

Electric vehicles have accounted for 32,050 sales to the end of May 2023, making up more than seven per cent of all vehicles sold in Australia. Indeed, EVs are now more popular in terms of numbers of vehicles sold than hybrids, with 29,293 petrol-electric examples sold to the end of May 2023. Plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs) have accounted for a further 2797 sales.

“We were, let’s say, one of the test markets for it. There are no more to come. It was only a very short period of supply, and they’re all sold,” said Mr Rivero.

“So - as an experiment, or a test, so to speak - the quantities that arrived in Australia, all went,” he said.

The number of examples that were sold in Australia tallied just 148, with only 14 of those being EV versions, and the remainder being the far more affordable and more Uber-friendly hybrid (134 examples).

Well, it looked like the front had the KIA badge on the grille.

Glad that’s done. Now I can move on with my life.