Kia’s EV3 and show oddities
At the New York Auto Show Kia unveiled the 2027 EV3, an affordable electric SUV due late 2026 with two battery choices, all‑wheel drive, and a cabin built around dual displays and integrated streaming. (auto.hindustantimes.com) The show also quietly showcased exotica — a 700‑hp electric GT from Karma called the Amaris and a heavily modified Manthey Racing GT3 RS among the more attention‑grabbing enthusiast pieces. (autoblog.com) (autoblog.com)
Kia used the New York Auto Show to slide a small, affordable electric SUV into the middle of the market: the 2027 EV3, which the company says will reach U.S. customers in late 2026. (kiamedia.com) The EV3 sits on Kia’s E‑GMP electric platform but with a lower‑voltage, 400‑volt setup aimed at cost and simplicity rather than ultra‑fast charging. (carbuzz.com) Kia will offer two battery packs: a 58.3 kWh “standard” and an 81.4 kWh long‑range pack. Those pack sizes correspond to the company’s quoted ranges and charging speeds: roughly 220 miles with the smaller battery and as much as about 320 miles with the larger one in U.S. testing, with peak DC charging around roughly 100–130 kW depending on pack size. (motortrend.com) (carbuzz.com) Power delivery starts with a front‑drive motor that produces about 201 horsepower, and Kia will add all‑wheel drive for higher trims and a sportier GT version that pushes output further. Front‑drive EV3s are aimed at efficiency and price; AWD and GT variants bring more traction and quicker acceleration. (motortrend.com) (carbuzz.com) Inside, Kia has leaned on screens and connectivity to make the EV3 feel modern: two 12.3‑inch displays in a shared bezel, a 5‑inch climate display, and built‑in streaming and “connected cockpit” features usually found in larger EVs. That packaging is part of Kia’s pitch: give mainstream buyers the digital features they expect while keeping the headline price lower than bigger EVs. (headlight.news) (hindustantimes.com) Kia also added small practicalities that differentiate EVs from gas cars: a North American Charging Standard (NACS) port and vehicle‑to‑load capability to run campsite devices or emergency appliances from the battery. Those features underline how the EV3 tries to translate EV advantages into everyday uses. (carbuzz.com) The show wasn’t all affordable crossovers. Tucked among the exhibits were highly specialized machines meant to turn heads and test limits. Karma Automotive quietly displayed the Amaris, a two‑door extended‑range GT that pairs twin electric motors with an internal‑combustion generator and claims roughly 700 horsepower and production intent later this year. It looks like an exotic coupe but uses a gas‑assisted architecture so buyers won’t fret about charging infrastructure on long trips. (autoblog.com) (karmaautomotive.com) Nearby, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS fitted with Manthey Racing’s wild kit demonstrated how far boutique tuning can push a road car: bigger wings, revised underbody aerodynamics, stiffer suspension and brake upgrades that shave seconds off lap times. The kit turns an already extreme GT3 RS into something closer to a road‑legal track car. (autoblog.com) (msn.com) The two threads at the show—Kia’s modest, feature‑rich EV3 and the extreme one‑off performance pieces—make a simple point in different languages: electric vehicle design now spans both practical mainstream products and high‑end experiments, and manufacturers are racing to serve both kinds of customers. The EV3 will appear in U.S. showrooms as a 2027 model with deliveries slated to begin in late 2026. (kiamedia.com)
