Kia Determined To Juice EV Sales In The US With New 2027 EV3.

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US President Donald Trump sailed into office on January 20, 2025, on a mission to stop the vehicle electrification movement in its tracks. Why? Who knows! Regardless of his intent, things did not go as planned. Global EV sales continued to soar upwards last year and now Trump’s war on Iran has paved the road for a US comeback. Kia America is among the automakers eager to re-seize the EV moment, with or without the support of the federal government.

Kia Eyeballs A Rebirth Of EV Sales In The US

Kia America launched its forthcoming EV3 compact SUV at the New York International Auto Show this week, alongside a 2000-word press release that buried the lede under a pile of glowing details. Dig down about halfway through the release to find the money quote:

“The Kia EV3 represents a bold step forward in our commitment to making electric mobility accessible to more Americans.”

Those are the words of Kia America VP of sales operations Eric Watson, who went on to say “the EV3 brings the innovation of our EV lineup into an entry EV SUV tailored for the way U.S. customers live, work, and travel.”

Watson’s confidence is surprising, considering that Kia’s EV sales slumped significantly in Q4 last year following the elimination of the federal EV tax credit in September, as did sales among other EV makers.

CleanTechnica ran the numbers reported by Kia for Q4, and they were not pretty.

• The Kia EV6 went from 2,111 deliveries in December 2024 to 745 deliveries in December 2025.
• The Kia EV9 went from 1,951 deliveries in December 2024 to 1,019 deliveries in December 2025.

So much for the bad news. On the bright side, some auto industry analysts surmise that the Q4 EV sales slump can be attributed, in part, to a Q3 spike as buyers rushed to take advantage of the tax credit before it expired. Under the previous tax scenario, some of those sales would have been deferred to Q4.

What’s So Great About The Kia EV3?

Industry analysts are also anticipating a fresh start for EV sales in the US later this year, as the immediate impact of the federal tax credit fades into memory. State-based and utility incentives continue to help support EV sales, alongside improvements in the public EV charging network. On the flip side of the market, there’s also optimism due to a wave of off-lease used EVs entering the market.

By single-handedly sending the price of gasoline and diesel through the roof, Trump pushed the sales recovery timeline up a notch. He made the TCO (total cost of ownership) case for EVs all the more attractive, particularly in parts of the US where electricity rates remain relatively low but fuel costs are high.

The icing on the cake would be parity between the upfront price of EVs and conventional cars. It’s unclear if the Kia EV3 will meet that bar. We’ll know more when the automaker reveals pricing later this year. Ahead of the car’s launch into the US market, though, it is purportedly going to come in for less than $30,000. In the meantime, Kia is covering as many other bases as it can. Here’s some of the TL;DR highlights in its press release:

Kia’s E-GMP architecture enables 10-80 percent DC fast charging in as little as 29 minutes1 on the Light trim

Up to a Kia-estimated 320-miles of all-electric range (AER)2 on certain trims

Native NACS charging port w/ standard Plug and Charge (PnC) capability3 through Kia Charge Pass in the Kia Access app4

Available all-wheel drive (AWD)5

Innovative i-Pedal 3.0 technology6 and Smart Regeneration System7

Available Vehicle to Load (V2L)8 capability turns EV3 into a useful power source for a variety of devices

Standard eight airbags9 plus an impressive suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)10 including standard Forward Collision Avoidance (FCA) Assist11

Stand-out Opposites United design inspired by EV9

High-performance GT model and special U.S.-exclusive available Nightfall black appearance package elevate EV3 in unique ways

“A right-sized all-electric entry SUV, delivering EV9-inspired design, practical range, and everyday usability to make electric mobility affordable to a larger audience,” Kia summarizes.

“The EV3 is an entry EV SUV that offers many of the advanced amenities of an EV9 in a smart and approachable package,” the automaker adds again for good measure.

Next Steps For EV Sales In The US, Trump Or No Trump

It’s difficult to see how Trump and his allies in Congress can inflict any more damage on EV sales in the US than they already have, and yet, despite their best efforts, the vehicle electrification movement has survived. In addition to encouraging words from Kia and GM, Toyota has been following through on its pledge to bring the all-electric C-HR to the US. Also, some automakers that pulled back on their EV plans, notably Ford, have switched gears into stationary energy storage, enabling them to keep a foothold in the battery ecosystem until EV sales revive.

Speaking of Ford, the company is still on track to produce an electric pickup truck next year at or near the $30,000 price point. Startups are also part of the action, with a surprise appearance from the solar-powered autocycle innovator Aptera and the newly hatched EV maker 1854 Motors, alongside the more widely known Jeff Bezos-backed Slate electric truck venture.

The Scout Motors branch of Volkswagen is also in the mix. When the startup launched in 2024, it spiked the EV sales pitch with a gas-powered range extension option. Up through last year, the overwhelming majority of reservations asked for the range extender, but Trump’s war in Iran could convince some to go all-electric.

Trump’s war has also made the commercial vehicle field more ripe for electrification, including buses, vans, shuttles, and box trucks on up to Class 8 heavy-duty long-haul trucks.

Meanwhile, Trump has not survived. His devolution from the darling of the Joe Rogan macho-man set into a howling, spinning ball of ineffectual rage has been a sight to behold, and his attempts to deflect attention from the Epstein scandal have grown more pathetic by the minute.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, but no matter what Trump flings against which wall, the Epstein scandal refuses to fade into the memory hole. In the latest news, earlier today Trump fired his chief Epstein-washer, US Attorney General Pam Bondi. Deputy AG Todd Blanche is on cleanup duty until Trump can find someone else willing to take on the task. Any takers?

Photo: Kia America is confident that its forthcoming compact 2027 Kia EV3 crossover will revive flagging EV sales, regardless of the loss of the federal tax credit (cropped, courtesy of Kia).