Kia Australia says the high-performance EV4 GT is under consideration for our market, in turn keeping the door open for the European-built EV4 Hatch.
Speaking at the local launch of the new EV4 Sedan, general manager for product at Kia’s local arm, Roland Rivero, said: “We’re studying the business case”.
“Every variant that we want to look at, we’ve got to make sure that it’s going to bring some real value to Kia Australia, whether it be a proper halo variant, or whether it’s going to be positioned and priced accordingly as well.
“To wear a GT badge, it’s got to earn that right, and we’ve got to make sure that we can position it as a proper GT,” Mr Rivero added.
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Revealed at the Brussels motor show last month, the 2026 Kia EV4 GT is powered by a 215kW dual-motor AWD electric drive system fed by an 81.4kWh battery. The 145kW front and 70kW rear motors help the EV4 GT to dash from 0-100km/h in 5.6 seconds.
GT-specific chassis tuning, 20-inch alloy wheels shod in “performance-oriented tyres” and a dedicated GT drive mode are all upgrades over the standard EV4 Hatch and Sedan, as is the Virtual Gear Shift (VGS) and active sound design borrowed from other Hyundai-Kia high-performance EVs like the Ioniq 5 N.
Inside, there are semi-bucket sport seats, a three-spoke GT steering wheel with a lime green 12 o’clock marker, as well as a specific user interface when the vehicle is in GT mode.
Only the hatchback version was shown in Brussels, which is exclusively produced at Kia’s Slovakian factory in Europe.
However, the Korean brand has also confirmed for production a GT version of the EV4 Fastback (aka EV4 Sedan), which is built in South Korea for the world, including Australia.
The wider EV4 Hatch range remains ‘under study’ for Australia, with its European production schedule posing challenges around cost and positioning relative to the EV4 Sedan (Fastback) in the Australian lineup.
Higher manufacturing costs, unfavourable exchange rates, and longer, more expensive freight logistics remain factors in establishing a local business case for the EV4 Hatch.
Kia Australia has just launched the EV4 Sedan range in Australia from $49,990 plus on-road costs. Given the EV4 Hatch is shorter in length (4450mm v 4730mm), positioning the hatchback over the sedan would also likely raise questions over value.
Elsewhere in the Australian Kia lineup, the similarly sized K4 Hatch and Sedan are priced the same across both body styles in all trim levels – though both are sourced from the same factory in Mexico.
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