Kia Prepares EV1 as a Picanto Electric Candidate for the European Market

JAKARTA - The small-sized urban electric car market in Europe has proven to be promising, as long as the product is attractive and affordable. Renault 5 E-Tech is one of the best-selling electric models on the continent throughout 2025.

This also confirms that the hatchback-style B segment still has great appeal. However, Renault's dominance is predicted not to go smoothly because this segment is beginning to be filled with new competitors.

Kia is also said to be considering entering the city electric car class through a model that is likely to be named EV1. The compact hatchback car will be positioned below the Kia EV2 in their electric vehicle lineup.

This signal strengthened after the positive response to small models in Europe, including enthusiasm for the new generation Renault Twingo. Currently, Kia's smallest electric model is the crossover-style EV2.

Its dimensions are higher and larger, but still fall into the B segment or supermini category in European market terms. That way, Kia has room to present an even smaller model, with the main focus as an urban vehicle.

Kia Europe's head of marketing, David Hilbert, confirmed to Autocar that his party was studying the prospects of the market. Where, it could give birth to a car similar to the electric version of the Picanto.

"The entire industry is looking for ways to make electric vehicles more accessible. Of course we are doing that too. We will continue to look for existing opportunities and, of course, are called EV2 for a reason," said Hilbert as quoted by Insideevs, Thursday, January 22.

The naming of EV2 is deliberately chosen to pave the way for a smaller EV1, which is also potentially cheaper. The key is in the more compact battery size.

If EV2 has a long-distance battery option with a capacity of up to almost 450 km (WLTP), the distance is not always necessary for vehicles that operate mostly in urban areas. Even so, Hilbert admitted that the EV1 plan was not final and referred to the A segment as an area that was still being studied seriously.

"In the long term, we continue to study the A segment. The Picanto is still an important model for us, and we continue to have a very important sales volume from that model," he said.

The opportunity for EV1 could be even wider if Kia is able to adapt the product to the European Union's cheap electric car category. If the new rules allow for the reduction of some active safety features to reduce prices, then manufacturers can sell cheaper electric cars that are more competitive than the previous standard.

The European Union is said to release the regulation at the end of January, and after that manufacturers will determine the steps. Kia Europe's head of product and pricing Alex Papapetropoulos said his company was closely monitoring the development.

"Kia is paying close attention to what the EU is doing. I'm not worried, because we have devices in our product plan that allow us to adjust and adapt to whatever will be announced," he said.

Currently, the Renault 5 is still the king in its segment. Competitors who have enlivened the market include Hyundai Inster, BYD Seagull, Leapmotor T03, Dacia Spring, Citroën ë-C3, Fiat Grande Panda EV, and the Kia EV2 itself.

In the future, competition is sure to get tighter because Renault will introduce the Twingo E-Tech. Then Dacia is preparing a new cheaper EV, Hyundai is rumored to be preparing a model that may be called Ioniq 2, while Volkswagen is said to be preparing to launch the ID. Polo and ID. Cross.