SUVs dominate the automotive landscape, especially electric vehicles or EVs. Look at every model being launched and you’ll note that nearly every single one is a utility vehicle. What happened to sedans, wagons, vans, and hatchbacks? Well, they’re now niche segments. However, not all consumers want a utility vehicle. Traditionalists still want low ride heights or maximum utility in the case of a van. For these consumers, here are the 9 EVs coming within the next five years that aren’t SUVs or trucks.
Future EVs: Mainstream Cars and Minivans
Hyundai Ioniq 6
Quite possibly the most unique-looking sedan, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 aims to win you over with style, performance, range, and technology. Based on the E-GMP platform, it shares its underpinnings with the Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Genesis GV60. The exterior took inspiration from the Prophecy Concept and as a result, gave the car a low drag coefficient of 0.21.
Volkswagen ID Aero
The Volkswagen ID Aero essentially replaces the Passat, at least for the United States. This concept car is essentially a thinly disguised version of Volkswagen’s electric midsize sedan, which could have the most range in the ID family of EVs. In addition to the sedan, a wagon version is also in the cards and could find its way to North America.
Kia electric compact sedan
Kia’s dedicated electric vehicles all wear the name EV moniker followed by a number. Two of those were sedans during its showcase teasing its nine new E-GMP-based models. While both donned slick exteriors, one was compact and designed to replace the Forte or K3. Expect this to offer a sportier driving experience than before. Kia also announced that every dedicated EV is getting a GT model, cementing its sporting identity.
Nissan Maxima replacement
Although attention to Nissan’s lineup currently centers around the new Z and Ariya, more vehicles are coming. One of those is the replacement for the Maxima. Previewed by the iMS Concept, this sedan is one of the models built in the U.S. at Nissan’s Canton, Mississippi plant. This model should use the same CMF-EV architecture as the Ariya and could get the same 87-kWh battery and 389-hp dual-motor e-4ORCE AWD system.
Toyota bZ SdN
Toyota’s bZ or Beyond Zero lineup launched with the bZ4X SUV but of the five models, only four are likely to make it to the U.S. One of those is the production version of the bZ SdN Concept shown at Toyota’s electrification announcement last December. This model is essentially a compact sedan and should use the same e-TNGA platform as the bZ4X. Hopefully, it uses a Panasonic battery that charges at peak rates of 150 kW.
Kia K5 and Stinger replacement
Sitting next to the compact sedan in Kia’s teaser last year was a larger midsize model eerily similar in size to the Stinger and K5. This suggests that both vehicles will be replaced by a single electric sedan. However, it’s unclear if it’ll have a hatch or a traditional trunk. Like the SUVs, it will wear the EV nameplate, to give it the family nomenclature. It’ll also use the E-GMP platform just like its utilitarian cousins and the smaller compact sedan.
Mini Cooper SE Hardtop
Mini’s electrification strategy begins with the classic two-door Hardtop. Co-developed with Great Wall motors this little rascal rides on a dedicated EV platform and reportedly has 230 hp on tap in Cooper SE guise. It’s the first of four EVs for the Mini brand alongside an all-electric Countryman and Convertible and a second crossover.
Mini Convertible
The final addition to Mini’s electrified lineup arrives in late 2024, the next-generation Convertible. Confirmed last year, expect this model to veer towards the sportier end of the spectrum and offer both Cooper S and JCW variants.
Volkswagen ID Buzz
Arriving in the U.S. in 2024, the Volkswagen ID Buzz revives the iconic bus as an all-electric model. With seating for up to seven, the ID Buzz should give Volkswagen a quirky family car option for those that don’t want an SUV. Currently, a single-motor variant with an 82-kWh battery is the only confirmed variant. However, don’t rule out a more powerful dual-motor version.