Kia previews upcoming flagship electric sedan

After a third straight year of record-breaking sales, Kia is ready to show off its most ambitious project yet. This new vehicle will be a "halo" car - it will represent the best technology and design the company has to offer. It does not have an official name yet, but experts believe it will be called the Kia EV8 or, less likely, the Kia EV7.

This new model takes a lot of inspiration from the Vision Meta Turismo concept. Kia showed this concept car late last year to celebrate its 80th birthday. It is a long, low sedan that looks very much like it belongs in a science fiction movie. The car features a very sleek shape with a windshield that stretches all the way into the roof. It also uses tiny cameras instead of traditional side mirrors and has a unique "yoke" steering wheel that looks more like a game controller.

Performance will be a big deal for this flagship. Leaked information suggests the top-end version of the Kia EV8 will have two motors producing 450 kW (603 horsepower). This would make it much more powerful than the old gasoline-powered Kia Stinger. For drivers who do not need that much speed, Kia will likely offer a rear-wheel-drive model with 160 kW (215 horsepower) and a mid-range all-wheel-drive version with 320 kW (429 horsepower).

One of the most impressive parts of this upcoming flagship is how far it can go on a single charge. It is expected to use a huge 113.2 kWh battery, and because it is so low and slippery in the wind, it could travel between 435 miles and 497 miles before needing to plug in.

Inside, Kia wants the car to feel like a "lounge" rather than a cramped cockpit. The design team is trying to use fewer screens to make the experience more relaxing. Instead, they are using advanced "augmented reality" technology, which projects maps and speed information onto the glass so it looks like the data is floating right above the road. The car even has three digital modes called Speedster, Dreamer, and Gamer to change how the interior feels based on your mood.

We expect to see the production version of this car arrive around 2027. It won't be cheap - it will likely cost from $60,000, with the final price depending on which battery and motor setup you choose. This would place it right between the smaller EV6 and the large EV9 SUV.

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