Hyundai And Kia To Launch Joint Bespoke, EV-Only Platform

Hyundai and Kia are working on an all-new platform that will be used exclusively by their future electric vehicles.

According to Auto Express, this new platform is approximately two years away from entering production and will support small- and medium-sized cars.

While both Hyundai and Kia have a number of electrified models in their respective line-ups, all are versions of existing models based around current underpinnings. It is reported that Hyundai Group design boss Luc Donckerwolke is pushing his team to think up a family of future electric vehicles more radical than those currently on offer.

“When it comes to electric vehicles you have to ask whether you want science fiction or whether you want to conform. We can create something that doesn’t appeal to someone in the traditional sense. We need to appeal to millennials and next-generation car buyers. They’re not car people – they want to buy something else,” Donckerwolke said.

Current plans of the two Korean brands call for 38 green vehicles to be added to their range by the year 2025, including 14 electric vehicles. Premium brand Genesis is also working on its first all-electric car that’s expected to launch in 2021. It remains to be seen if it will be underpinned by the group’s new, dedicated architecture.

The most recent all-electric vehicle launched by one of the two sister companies is the Kia e-Soul. Unveiled at last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, the e-Soul features an electric motor delivering 201 hp and 291 lb-ft (392 Nm) of torque and a 64 kWh battery that, according to the EPA, gives it a 243-mile (391 km) range.