Early this year, I wrote here that the Kia Stonic would have an electric version next year, unfortunately this information was later denied by some Kia officials. I was surprised since the initial information also came from Kia representatives in South Korea…
However, the good news is that now, once again Kia officials admit that the Kia Stonic will probably have an electric version later down the road, but not next year. For now Kia doesn’t want to affect the sales of the regular gas version. If we’re lucky we’ll see the electric version on sale by 2019.
The Kia Stonic is a compact SUV, similar to the Hyundai Kona. You can see how similar they are in the video below.
Considering that the Hyundai Kona EV will be very similar to the Chevrolet Bolt EV – regarding dimensions and powertrain -, the Kia Stonic EV would be another great alternative.
To sum up, the possibility of an electric Kia Stonic is great news, since Kia builds very reliable cars that aren’t cost prohibitive. The last clear example is the Kia Niro that according to Consumer Reports is the most reliable car on sale this year in the USA. The same car which already have an PHEV version and will have an all electric version next year.
Furthermore, considering that the all electric version of the Hyundai IONIQ is proving to be much more popular than the hybrid and plugin hybrid variants, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group introducing more electric cars than what they previously planned. Remember that Hyundai expected that the hybrid variant would be much more popular than the electric, when in fact it’s the other way around.
I’m also curious to see what the Renault-Nissan-Alliance is planning regarding electric SUVs…
Which one would you prefer? A Kia Stonic EV or a Hyundai Kona EV?
