Kia and Rimac Partner for Halo Performance EV

author: Vineeth Joel Patel   

Electric vehicles are turning into interesting value propositions for automakers. Usually, automakers prefer to work by themselves on vehicles, as it's the easiest way to stand out in the sea of competition. Electric vehicles are a different story. Since the majority of automakers don't have a lot of experience with electric cars or millions of dollars to invest in developing electric powertrains, they're entering into partnerships with unlikely brands. Like Kia and Rimac.

Unlikely Partners Coming Together

According to a report from Autocar, Kia and Rimac will work together to bring a new electric vehicle to market in 2021. The high-performance electric car will be based on the Imagine concept that was revealed last year. With Rimac being a supercar manufacturer with million-dollar machines and Kia being an affordable South Korean brand, it will be interesting to see what the two brands come up with.

The electric vehicle will sit above Kia's current EVs, which include the Niro EV and Soul EV. Kia's product planning chief, Pablo Martinez Masip, told the outlet that the upcoming car is "significant in showing our EV capability for the future as the Stinger was for showing how far Kia had progressed when it was launched."

Autocar claims that the vehicle will utilize a new platform that will be shared with Hyundai. That's not unheard of, as Kia and Hyundai currently share a lot of components between the Niro EV and Kona Electric. The outlet expects the car to have a range of roughly 310 miles, which is the most of any electric Kia or Hyundai product. Eventually, Kia hopes that updates would push range up to 500 miles.

Charging performance will also be impressive for the upcoming EV. The electric car coming next year will be able to charge from 20 to 80 percent – or roughly 200 miles of range – in roughly 20 minutes on a 350-kW charger. As far as modern cars go, only the Porsche Taycan has similar charging capability.

Rimac Performance, Close To Kia Pricing

In regard to how Rimac plays into the picture, Kia believes that performance is one great aspect of electric vehicles. Brands, like Tesla and Porsche, have made it apparent that modern electric vehicles can also be high-performance models. Rimac has the know-how on how to make high-performance electric cars, which will greatly help Kia. Don't expect pricing to be as low as Kia's regular vehicles, though.  

"We are not a premium brand, we are a mainstream brand, and we have to be true to that heritage. This car will be a halo and be priced as such, but it will demonstrate that you can get very high performance levels without having to pay the premium prices of, for instance, Tesla, BMW or Mercedes," said Masip.

The upcoming electric car will be a part of Kia's plan to introduce 11 electrified vehicles by 2025. Kia wants to become an electric-forward brand in the upcoming years, while also looking into other mobility avenues.

Vineeth Joel Patel

Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods