Can you believe that Kia has been around for 80 years? Alright, so it was originally called Kyungsung Precision Industry and didn’t actually make its first four-wheeled road vehicle until 1962, but still, it was founded in 1944. To celebrate this anniversary, Kia UK has partnered with British firm Electrogenic to turn a Pride hatchback into an electric vehicle, and the results are fascinating. Partly because it doesn’t work exactly the way you’d think, and partly because the engine was never the high point of the Kia Pride, so hey, why not try electricity?
If you aren’t familiar with the Kia Pride, you might know it by another name. Back in in 1986, Mazda designed a little hatchback for the Asia-Pacific market, and since Mazda was partnered with Ford and Kia was also partnered with Ford way back then, this little hatchback was built not just in Japan, but also in Korea.
In 1987, Ford decided to give it a whirl in America, and it tapped Kia’s manufacturing capacity to deliver a diminutive hatchback badged as the Ford Festiva. Yep, that’s a Kia Pride. You could buy this thing in America from model years 1988 to 1993, and while it certainly wasn’t quick, it was a credible competitor to the Chevrolet Sprint and Geo Metro.
Under the hood of this particular Kia Pride, you’ll find a single electric motor good for up to 107 horsepower of go-power and 173 lb.-ft. of torque. Granted, the standard eco mode limits it to 60 horsepower and 87 lb.-ft. of torque, but set it into sport to unlock full output and this thing ought to be quick compared to a standard Kia Pride.
That electric motor doesn’t mate to a single-speed reduction gearbox, but instead a five-speed manual transmission, which is fitted with a more aggressive clutch to handle a 99.2 percent increase in peak torque over a standard Kia Pride. What’s more, Kia claims that only a hint of regenerative braking is active in most modes, so that drivers can actually work the gearbox. The only exception is automatic mode, which just involved locking the gearbox in third, and ramps up regen to drive like a normal EV. While electric vehicle conversions featuring manual transmissions aren’t anything new, with advancements in motor controllers, newer examples of this conversion style seem more tantalizing than ever.
Two 10 kWh battery packs are responsible for feeding the motor on this thing, one under the hood and one under the floor of the trunk. Yes, this means the Kia Pride EV restomod only has 20 kWh of energy aboard, which means that range isn’t brilliant. Kia quotes a maximum travel distance of up to 120 miles, and while that seems good enough for a leisurely weekend touring the countryside, there’s still something holding it back. See, the Pride EV restomod doesn’t have provisions for DC fast charging, instead relying on just a 3.3 kW onboard Level 2 charger.
Still, there is an upside to the tiny energy capacity — this whole thing still weighs less than 2,000 pounds after the electric conversion. Tipping the scales at 1,918 pounds, it’s a featherweight, and Kia claims that some of the 44-pound weight gain actually shifts the hatchback’s balance rearward. Now granted, at about 17.9 pounds per horsepower, this thing won’t be massively quick, but it would be intriguing to find out how it feels.
On the outside, the Kia Pride EV restomod is delightfully subtle. It’s been painted the same pearl white paint you can get on an EV6 or EV9, and the interior now features lime green piping to match the accents on an EV6 GT, but other than those cues, subtly upgraded lighting, and the lack of an exhaust tip, it just looks like a 1980s hatchback.
(Photo credits: Kia UK)
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These things were tougher than anyone remembers…mostly because no-one remembers the 90s. Not even those of us who were there.
But this thing would kill us all. And we should rejoice in its unavailability. Or lament that society will no longer tolerate our capacity (and unrequited love) for questionable choices.
Dare I ask the cost of this?
1 of 1. You figure it out.
I remember around the time these came out we had some neighbors up the street with twin girls, so naturally they both turned 16 at the same time, the solution was a pair of Festivas.
With the 5 speed in there I’m thinking this would be a hoot to drive.
WHY NOBODY ACTUALLY MAKE THIS CAR WANT SO MUCH DANGIT
By the time it got productionized, safetized, epaized, and had all the de-rigour touch crap added it would weigh 4000 lbs, have 300hp, 20″ donks, an ecosoy interior and be priced north or 50k
Don’t forget: GPS tracking, a EULA, video cameras, transmission of driver and passenger data to scores of anonymous companies, few real buttons, wifi, 5 display screens, a 9 month warranty, and a handful of recalls within the first year fixed by “software updates”.
At least we can thank our lucky souls it’s not a Stellantis product. Maybe they should ‘bring back’ the omni-rison-glh collection.
If Iran still has the tooling…somebody could turn this into a low-speed vehicle for some states… or maybe a KD manufacture like the Maharinda Roxor?
This is an electric car that actually makes sense: Lightweight, simple, and it keeps the manual transmission. It doesn’t seem like it’s trying be a smartphone. It doesn’t have or need a long range. if these could be made and sold for a low price, I think they might get some customers.
I think that there isn’t a single car company out there that couldn’t mine their own history for some nostalgic model which could be applied to this formula.
I won’t use Ford (as this is kind of a Ford already) but let’s just say Volkswagen, who has already spent bucket loads of money on a modular EV platform, couldn’t they strip it down to it’s bare minimum and release a 2wd, 40 kvh or 60 kvh battery and a 150hp drive motor and build a fully retro Polo or Rabbit (GTI option anyone?), Make sure it is < 2200lbs and less then $23000 to start.
That car would sell in droves across the world.
What about Subaru? They have access to Toyota EV and Hybrid technology. What about a Justy or a XT? What was the MR2 but a Corolla drivetrain stuck behind the driver? Why not take the Prius Prime drivetrain and stick it behind the driver and make a fully retro MR2?
So many options out there.
A sub-2,500 lb converted AWD Justy with a Lucid Air Sapphire drivetrain and a 20 kWh pack of LoneStar Sleepercell batteries would be nuts.
Sweet. My first car was a Festiva and aside from the vinyl upholstery it was reliable and super fun. I like the idea of that automatic mode implementation for when you get stuck in gridlock.
Damn, give me that in an economy coupe, early ’80s Subaru hardtop, for instance (or an XT!). Range is fine for this, especially with that low weight. I want a new EV along these lines, not the touchscreen, electrify-every-component, and 3-ton curb weight disposable POS they’re giving us. I wouldn’t even care if it had the typical EV depreciation curve as I’d have no reason to sell it.
That’s fun, this type of electric conversion actually intrigues me and makes me want to drive it and see what it’s like.
What a cool thing. In a world of 1258 horsepower hypercars, it’s refreshing to see something like this done, out of a mundane car no one would look at twice (or even once) a few years ago (or even now). Well done Kia!
A one ton car with 100hp and 173 torques?
I can work with that: yes, please!
I’m really into conversions like this. Something about taking an un-smog-able radwood shitbox and making it a quasi-hot hatch commuter is appealing, although only if it could be done for fairly cheap. I’ll do the work, but it needs to be pretty close to drop in and $5k or less.
Lose the doors and hand it over to Ms Mercedes. Let’s see how it Gambles…
On a freeway at 70 mph, I suspect that range will be closer to 80 miles. To get 120 miles at 70 mph on 20 kWh, this car will need to cut the aero drag in half.
I think this Kia will do 0-60 mph in under 6 seconds with the specifications given.
My < 1,900 lb Triumph GT6 conversion making ~120 peak horsepower around 5,000 rpm and ~120 lb-ft of torque at 0 rpm can peel out and go sideways in top gear. Starting in 2nd gear, 0-40 mph is about 2.5 seconds.
It’s a brick on little 12″ pizza cutters. You don’t want to be doing 70mph even though it is (now) capable.
It’s a citycar that’ll be the first stop-to-stop.
I’m intrigued. A stock Ford Festiva with a 5 speed is a hoot to drive, a stupidly fun little road legal go cart. An extra 100 hp and better balance can’t be bad!
the motor is 107 total, not 100 more
It was my first car! I hated it at first, because teenager. But grew to like it. Surprisingly fun.
This is the EV I want for running errands even though is would be just a bit safer in a collision than a motorcycle and more water resistant than a motorcycle.
It fixes a few issues of the original:
NVH is reduced with electrics.
100-odd hp is a significant bump over the original stock (especially 30 years later)
Acceleration off-the-line would be better – though, I’d argue, as it was always a peppy lightweight that could make its way through the first three gears before you’ve crossed the intersection, that gear ratios might be better adjusted for the massive torque increase.
But…
The 5d choice, however, probably selected for more space for the battery packs isn’t quite the spirit of a stripped down base ‘car’. And, I’m sure, feels more depressing as a result.
And the 12″ wheels were horrendous for finding matching rubber (assuming those are the 12’s, and not the larger 13’s as they look like steel)
Last I looked (2009), even 13” tires didn’t have many options
I did a search for 145/80R12 and 165/70R12 sizes. Both, I believe, were stock sizes. I came up with one model option from Michelin, the MX, on Tire Rack’s site – but it’s Michelin’s site won’t let me input anything narrower than 175.
Separately, the 155/70R13 (IIRC was the other OEM size) gave me a wide range of options (6 total, 4 of them from Chinese brands) including dedicated winters – but zero stock. Are they all discontinued?