ZILINA, Slovakia: The five-door Kia EV4 is the brand’s first fully electric vehicle to be manufactured in Europe.
The start of production follows extensive updates to Kia’s sole European manufacturing facility in Slovakia.
An electric hatchback designed specifically for the European market, the EV4 is assembled exclusively at Kia AutoLand Slovakia.
Built on Hyundai Motor Group’s Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), the EV4 is available with two battery options: a 58.3kWh battery and a larger 81.4kWh variant, offering a range of up to 391 miles (629km) on a single charge.
The EV4 boasts Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capabilities.
The model features an aluminium bonnet to reduce weight and enhance handling.
Kia’s manufacturing facility in Žilina, Slovakia was opened in 2004.
The two-sq-km plant employs around 3,700 people and operates with more than 600 advanced robots.
The plant can produce multiple model variants simultaneously across five main production areas: press, body, paint, engine, and assembly.
The production lines have been modernised with new technologies, including an EV battery conveyor at the chassis line in the assembly shop.
The Žilina plant produces other models such as the Kia XCeed and Kia Sportage.
This includes hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants, which have accounted for 25% of the facility’s total annual output as of 2024.
With an annual capacity of 350,000 vehicles and 540,000 engines, the facility has produced more than five million units since opening, which are exported to 83 countries.
These figures account for approximately 11% of the company’s global vehicle output.
While the five-door EV4 will be manufactured at Kia’s European plant in Slovakia, its saloon-bodied sibling, the EV4 Fastback, will be manufactured in Korea at the brand’s Autoland Gwangmyeong EVO plant.
