The Kia Ray is a
city car
The A-segment is the 1st category in the passenger car classification system defined by the European Commission. It is used for city cars, the smallest category of passenger cars defined.
A-segment sales represent approx. 7-8% of the market in ...
manufactured by
Kia
Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...
exclusively for the South Korean domestic market. Based on the
Kia Picanto/Morning, it was specifically developed in compliance with the "light car" ( ko, 경차, translit=Gyeongcha) category that offers tax incentives for cars with exterior dimensions below in length and below in width.
Overview
Only available in the local Korean domestic market, the Kia Ray is equipped with a 998cc gasoline engine which generates at 6,400 rpm.
The Ray has a unique
door layout; the passenger side of the vehicle has a
sliding door
A sliding door is a type of door which opens horizontally by sliding, usually horizontal to a wall. Sliding doors can be mounted either on top of a track below or be suspended from a track above. Some types slide into a space in the parallel w ...
for the rear seats, while the driver's side has a
swing-out door.
The car has a
kei car-inspired boxy dimensions. The Ray's interior benefits from the square shape, as it has more space than most cars its size; however, it is only able to seat four people.
Kia Ray EV
The Kia Ray EV was launched in 2011 as Kia's first production
battery electric vehicle
A battery electric vehicle (BEV), pure electric vehicle, only-electric vehicle, fully electric vehicle or all-electric vehicle is a type of electric vehicle (EV) that exclusively uses chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs, ...
. It is powered by a electric motor, with a 16.4
kWh lithium ion battery
A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also see ...
that allows an all-electric range of depending on driving conditions.
The initial roll out was a limited production of 2,500 units destined for the
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
n government fleets, and scheduled to be deployed in 2012. In May 2013 a fleet of 184 Kia Ray EVs were deployed in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
as part of a
carsharing service called "Electric Vehicle Sharing” at a rate of per hour. The service had 15,000 registered customers by May 2013.
File:KIA Ray EV on MIAS 2012.JPG, Kia Ray EV (front)
File:Kia Ray EV - Mondial de l'Automobile de Paris 2012 - 002.jpg, Kia Ray EV (rear)
File:20111210 kia ray 02.jpg, Right side featuring sliding rear door
2017 Facelift
The New Ray, which received a facelift, was released on December 13, 2017.
The radiator grille in the center of the existing model was raised to the same height as the headlamp and changed to body color. Wide honeycomb patterns were also applied to tailgate garnish.
The sudden braking alarm system was applied to all trims, and rollover detection was added to the existing six airbags. It is designed to add four-point colors and license plate LED lamps to loops, outer mirror covers, and radiator grills from three popular body colors, Milky Beige, Clear White, and Aurora Black Pearls.
A single-seater Kia Ray Van was released on February 8, 2022. It operates with a total of two trims, Prestige and Prestige Special. Driver convenience specifications such as a driver's heating wire seat and a driver's seat height adjustment device are added to the Prestige Special.
2022 Facelift
The New Kia Ray, which received a second facelift, was unveiled on August 10, 2022 and released on September 1st. On the front, Starmap signature lighting and center garnish are placed horizontally. The bumper has a flat, angular design. The skid plate was applied to the lower part of the bumper. A 15-inch alloy wheel with a geometric shape is applied to the side. On the rear, a rear combination lamp was applied, and Starmap signature lighting was placed on the edge of the rear combination lamp. In addition, an additional non-exposed tailgate handle was applied. A 4.2-inch LCD cluster design was applied to the interior, and a light gray interior was added.
Driver assistance system and convenience features such as Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, Safe Exit Warning, ventilated driver's seat, air-purification mode are also applied.
On November 17, 2022, Gravity, the design differentiation model of The New Kia Ray, was added. Gravity is based on Ray's top trim signature and applies new design elements to create a tough-looking exterior. The dark metal front center garnish and rear tailgate garnish give a solid impression, and black colors are applied to the front and rear skid plates, A-pillars, roof, and exterior mirrors to create a sophisticated atmosphere. On the sides, 15-inch black alloy wheels are applied.
References
External links
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{{Kia
2010s cars
Production electric cars
City cars
Hatchbacks
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
Ray
Cars introduced in 2012