Hyundai readying electric baby SUV for 2023

Powertrain specialist BorgWarner has confirmed that it is working with the Hyundai Motor Group to develop a small pure-electric city car for both Hyundai and Kia that will go on sale within the next two years.

Confirming a mid-2023 on-sale date, the American automotive parts supplier said it had completed a deal to provide the integrated electric drive module for the new model that packages both the motor and gearbox within one case, saving space.

As well as revealing the existence of the upcoming EV, BorgWarner also announced that the drive module it has developed for Hyundai has been engineered for a peak output of up to 135kW.

Alas, it's not thought a Kia Picanto-replacing crossover will employ the full 135kW. Instead, expect power to be wound back to around 80kW to give the new model similar levels of performance to the outgoing supermini.

Like the Hyundai Kona Electric, the still-secret battery-powered city car will benefit from the brand's 400-volt architecture that allows for rapid-charging. Expect a 30-minute top-up to add around 160km of range with a 50kW DC charger.

There's no word on battery size, but since the EV will be pitched at other small electric cars like the Fiat 500, it's thought the Korean car-making giant will target a battery size of around 40kWh that should provide a range of 320km.

Earlier this year, Kia released a darkened image (pictured above) that shows the line-up of its future EVs. It's understood that this group includes the city car it plans to launch in 2023, with the small zero-emissions SUV pictured second from right.

The Kia and Hyundai versions are expected to share only minor differences in the styling department, but a third derivative created for the IONIQ EV sub-brand could have more a radical design.