Kia Goes Electric

Kia is getting ready to drive in electric vehicles soon. So we thought of trying out the Soul EV and the Niro EV here in India

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A few years back, there was a huge debate on the future of LPG and CNG powered vehicles. There were not enough pumps to keep the cars fueled and most importantly huge lines were common. The question was also asked on range of these vehicles as CNG and LPG pumps were rarely found on Indian highways. However don’t you agree that things have changed drastically all over the country? I personally have a gut feeling that the same is going to happen to electric vehicles. These days you rarely see EVs on the road. However, things could change drastically over the next few years. The revolution has already started few years back with Mahindra taking over Maini and creating a host of models which one can already buy today. Joining the bandwagon now is a plethora of other manufacturers and even Kia! Now most people will say that the company is yet to launch its first product, but we say that the company is all set to launch two new EVs in India namely the Soul EV and the Niro EV.

The proof of the pudding is this exclusive first drive on Indian soil.

Let’s begin with the design of the Soul EV. It looks odd and that is the car’s USP. It has boxy proportions and we really love it. The front end comes with a sleek grille flanked by LED lights. The charging point is positioned up front and is easy to access. In profile one can see its true tall boy genes. The large windows and wheels give the Soul a very interesting profile. The rear end is also unique and is more slab sided in sync with the profile. The Niro on the other hand is a little more generic to look at. The grille up front is more prominent and a section of it houses the charging point. Otherwise the Niro comes with a simple and clean design. In profile too it is not as adventurous as the Soul. Let’s say the design is more conventional.