Like Citroen Ami, Kia To Work On A Small Electric City Car For Post COVID-19 World

Post COVID-19 world will see a considerable shift away from the use of public transport, as people will prefer the confines of their private transport. Citroen has managed to perfectly time the launch of its tiny electric car Ami in this regard. Now, Kia Motors is looking to do the same.

In a recent interview with Auto Express, Kia Motors Europe COO Emilio Herrera hinted at the company¡¯s endeavour. Herrera said, ¡°People want to feel safe today. We saw that very clearly from a survey that was done after coronavirus in China, which showed people had moved from public transportation to private transportation.¡±

The survey he mentions had recorded a significant growth in people opting for private transport options post the pandemic in China. The jump was observed from a previous 34 percent to 65 percent in the post COVID-19 world. ¡°The reason is because they feel safe in their car and they feel unsafe in public transportation.¡±

Kia Motors believes that this transition to private transport will be observed in most other countries. ¡°I think if people had a choice in London, they¡¯d choose to drive their own car,¡± Herrera said.

Kia's small electric car render (Image: Auto Express UK)

Hence, the company sees potential in the idea of a small urban commuter for people in Europe. ¡°We are already studying a proposal on having very small micro vehicles for urban use ¨C we see a real potential,¡± Herrera explained.

In the oncoming era, such a car, of course, would be an electric. ¡°Those vehicles we are targeting are EVs ¨C 100 per cent electric with a small range, but being used only in an urban environment. Our project is looking at what we call L6 and L7 cars in the sector, the type of cars such as the Ami. It¡¯s something we¡¯re investigating at this point in time because we believe it could be an alternative to public transportation, providing we can deliver it at a very similar cost to public transportation.¡±

And that right there is a point to ponder upon. The idea of such a small commuter is to enable urban mobility at a minimal cost. An electric vehicle with a range dedicated to enable such a commute will definitely prove to be much cheaper than an IC engine make in the long run. Possibly somewhere close to a public transit.

Flexible ownership models can also help with the same. Much like the Citroen Ami, Kia is looking at subscription models for its upcoming EV. ¡°We¡¯re really looking at very low monthly prices for subscription, so it can really compete ¨C and the Ami is one of the vehicles we¡¯ve looked at,¡± says Herrera.

Citroen Ami vs Kia's electric urban commuter

Herrera also plans the EV platform to be specifically developed by Kia Motors. ¡°We could eventually share the platform with Hyundai, but the idea is to have a dedicated platform from Kia that we could eventually share with Hyundai.¡±

The small electric urban commuter will be designed for the people in Europe at first. It will, however, not be limited to the region. Instead, Kia Motors sees it as a global product - ¡°The idea with this project is for it to be global, not just for Europe. It will have the synergies of scale to ensure that this vehicle would be available at a very cheap price for consumers,¡± Herrera concludes.

¡°When?¡± is a question not answered by him yet.