Kia Considering Tiny EV to Give Commuters an Alternative to Taking the Public Transportation
Your favorite Kia dealer in Antioch is always ready to share interesting news with our customers. We thought Kia’s latest answer to an unforeseen problem is a good one. One of the results of the recent COVID-19 pandemic is that commuters have strayed away from public transportation. In an interview with Auto Express, Emilio Herrera, the COO of Kia’s European division, claimed that 34 percent of commuters took private transportation before the pandemic. However, after the virus spread, now 65 percent of commuters take private transportation. This is logical, considering most people don’t want to touch seats inside a bus that others have sat on. Kia is devising an affordable solution to help people feel safer, as an alternative to taking the bus.
Their solution is to create an electric car designed for urban city commutes similar to the Citroen’s Ami vehicle in France. The Ami is a compact vehicle with only the essential features to move around. It has an eight-horsepower motor, a top speed of 27.9 mph, and has 43 miles of driving range before needing to recharge. Best of all, you can lease their vehicle for a whopping $22 per month or 30 cents per minute using a car-sharing app.
There will be unprecedented challenges that Kia will have to overcome. Building a car the size of a golf cart and stuffing a 4.0 Liter engine is not particularly practical. Also, making the costs and profits to work will be a challenge. For Citroen, their Ami costs $6,600 per car, but only charges $22 per month to lease. Another factor to consider is the sanitation of the vehicle. Sharing a vehicle with other people in your city is similar to a bus. However, with this solution, you won’t have to ride alongside other people, which is much easier to sanitize than an entire bus.
There isn’t any timeframe released, but Autoweek believes that the initial prototypes may be revealed as early as 2021. The option to lease, rent, and buy may be available the following year. The first prototypes will likely be released in Europe. However, Kia does plan to make this a global phenomenon to make their financial investment worth it.
If you’re looking for a Kia dealer near me to get you behind the wheel of a new Kia model, come see us at Raymond Kia. You’ll find us at 119 Rt 173 in Antioch, IL. Or call our sales department at 888-474-5730.
