It's a Kia Venga, but with an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine. Kia is still calling it a concept for the time being, with an eye to putting it on the road very soon.
Why's it here?
Kia's 'earth-positive' (pun possibly intended...) initiative is all about developing environmentally friendly cars, so the Venga EV fits right in with this policy. The 80kW (107bhp) electric motor runs off a twin lithium ion battery pack and offers 0-62mph in 11.8 seconds to give similar acceleration to a standard petrol Venga. Top speed for the EV is 87mph.
Show stopper or floor filler?
A bit of a show stopper on the quiet as the Venga EV is said to be production-ready. All it needs is the infrastructure to use its plug-in recharging, and you won't have to wait hours to top up the batteries. The Venga EV can be 80% recharged in just 20 minutes, though a full charge takes eight hours. Kia is still to confirm the range of the Venga EV, but it looks like a sensible interim solution to the electric car question everyone seems to be asking.
Check out the press conference from the show below: