The upcoming Kia EV4 GT hot hatch has been teased and the design changes are subtle, but could hide some serious powertrain upgrades.
Compared to the EV4 GT-Line, the GT has a redesigned lower air intake with vertical slats. The bottom section of the rear bumper is now fitted with a diffuser-like element, and the horizontal reversing light underneath the licence plate recess has been replaced by a new unit with five vertical light bars.
We can’t tell if the GT sits lower to the ground than the GT-Line, so if there are any suspension height changes, it will only be a few millimetres.
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The GT rides on new 20-inch alloy wheels, an inch larger than the units fitted to GT-Line variants, which are clad in 245/40 Michelin Pilot Sport rubber.
Lime green is the highlight colour of choice for Kia’s electric GT models, and it appears not only on this EV4’s disguise, but is also applied to the brake calipers.
There’s no word yet on what changes Kia is seeking to make the drivetrain, but the GT will certainly be more powerful than the standard EV4, which has a 150kW/283Nm electric motor driving the front wheels.
In the EV6, the GT flagship has a 430kW/740Nm dual-motor all-wheel drive system good for a claimed 0-100km/h time of 3.5 seconds. That’s a fair whack more performance than the variant one step down, which has a 239kW/605Nm all-wheel drive layout and a 0-100km/h time of 5.2 seconds.
Given the EV4 uses a 400V electric architecture as opposed to the EV6’s 800V setup, it’s likely the EV4 GT won’t be quite in the same performance league.
According to Autocar, the EV4 GT will produce around 300kW and a 0-100km/h time of 5.0 seconds. The British publication has also seen the interior, and reports it has sportier seats upholstered in a mix faux suede and leather, as well as lime green highlights for the seat belts, door trims and screen graphics.
The GT will probably use the EV4’s largest battery pack option, an 81.4kWh nickel manganese cobalt unit that supports DC fast-charging up to 128kW. With the GT’s more potent drivetrain and grippier tyres, driving range will be below the 633km WLTP estimate achieved by the existing long-range variant.
The EV4 GT is expected to launch in early 2026. With Australia slated to receive the South Korean-built EV4 sedan, and the EV4 GT treatment only confirmed, so far, for the European-made hatchback, it’s unclear if the EV4 GT will make it Down Under.