Kia EV7 Leaked: Midsize Electric SUV Slotted Between the EV6 and EV9

Kia is getting a new electric SUV — and this time the news didn’t come from a press release. An internal Kia document laying out production plans for the brand’s Korean factories, uncovered by The Korean Car Blog this week, confirms that production of the first-ever Kia EV7 will proceed at Kia’s Gwangju plant. It’s described in the document as a new midsize electric SUV — and no, Kia hasn’t publicly said a word about it yet.

Here’s the straight answer: the EV7 is the model that finally fills the gap between the compact EV6 and the three-row flagship EV9. Everything else — range, price, timing, even which countries get it — is not in the leaked document. So let’s be honest about what’s confirmed, what’s reported, and what’s a reasonable guess based on what Kia has already told the world about its EV plans.

The leak: what the document actually says

The document came from Kia’s Employment Stability Committee, which maps out upcoming production at Kia’s domestic plants. The Korean Car Blog published its findings on November 3, and both Electrek and Autoblog picked up the story the next day. Three things matter here.

First, the wording: “production of mid-range electric SUV ‘EV7’ to proceed” at Gwangju. That’s the plant in South Korea’s southwest, and it’s the only mention of the EV7 in the document. No dates, no volumes, no specs.

Second, the context. The same document lays out a busy stretch for Kia’s Korean plants through the rest of the decade: a redesigned Carnival Hybrid entering production in 2028 at Gwangmyeong, a hydrogen-powered Carnival in 2029 (Kia’s first production hydrogen model), an all-new Sorento Hybrid in 2028 at Hwaseong, and an updated Bongo commercial truck at Gwangju. In other words, this isn’t a rumor-mill product wish list — it’s a factory planning document, which is exactly why the EV7 mention carries weight.

Third, the name itself. Kia’s electric lineup is numbered by size and segment: EV3 at the small end, EV4, EV5, EV6, and the flagship EV9 at the top. An EV7 has never existed. The name implies a step below the three-row EV9 and above the EV6 — a true midsize SUV, and notably, a segment where Kia currently sells the EV5 in some markets but not in the United States.

One caveat before we go further: Kia has not confirmed any of this publicly. The document is a leak, and factory plans can change. Everything that follows beyond the document’s words is pieced together from Kia’s own stated plans and the outlets that have covered this story.

Where the EV7 fits: Kia’s electric lineup today

To understand why the EV7 matters, look at what Kia already sells. After launching the EV2 earlier this year, the brand now runs one of the most complete EV lineups in the business: the EV2, EV3, EV4, EV5, EV6, EV9, and the PV5 van.

In the US, though, the lineup still has a hole right where American buyers shop most. The EV6 is a compact crossover. The EV9 is a full three-row flagship. Between them sits the biggest slice of the American SUV market — midsize two-row SUVs like the Toyota Highlander and the Kia Sorento itself — and Kia has no electric answer for it stateside.

The EV5 would look like the answer on paper. It’s a midsize electric SUV Kia already sells in China and other markets, measuring 4,615 mm long, 1,875 mm wide, and 1,675 mm tall on a 2,750 mm wheelbase — roughly Sportage-sized — with an 81.4 kWh battery and up to 329 miles of WLTP range. But it hasn’t come to America. Electrek’s take is that the EV7 will be a touch bigger than the EV5, closer to the Sorento in size. The Sorento, as it happens, is the model the leaked document has Kia redesigning as a hybrid for 2028 — which tells you Kia expects that midsize slot to keep selling for years.

What the EV7 will probably look like: reading Kia’s own roadmap

Since the leaked document gives no specs, the best guide to the EV7 is what Kia has already promised publicly about its next-generation EVs. At its CEO Investor Day in April 2026, Kia laid out an EV roadmap worth knowing:

• 14 EV models by 2030 — two passenger models, nine SUVs, and three purpose-built commercial vehicles. Europe alone is targeted for 66% EV sales by 2030.
• A new EV platform that Kia says delivers up to 40% more battery capacity and a 9% improvement in motor output versus current tech, using fifth-generation batteries with 15% higher energy density.
• Software-defined vehicles built on Hyundai’s CODA architecture, with the Pleos Connect infotainment system, Gleo AI, and Level 2++ autonomous driving on highways.
• An electric city car in 2027 for Europe (widely expected to wear the EV1 badge), and a “flagship volume EV model” in 2029 designed to trade up Sportage hybrid and plug-in hybrid owners, as well as high-trim EV5 customers.

If the EV7 lands on the new platform with an 800-volt electrical system — which Electrek’s Peter Johnson considers likely — it would charge a lot faster than the EV5’s 400-volt setup. Today’s EV6 and EV9 already use 800-volt architecture and can add hundreds of miles in under 20 minutes at a fast charger, so matching that would be the price of admission for a midsize Kia EV.

And then there’s the timeline. Kia’s CEO, Ho Sung Song, told investors in April that the global EV market is now “entering the ‘chasm’ phase,” with growth slowing after the early surge — his case for pushing more affordable EVs to cross it. Kia wants to sell one million EVs a year by 2030, good for a 3.8% global market share, up from about 250,000 and 1.7% in 2025. A midsize American-friendly EV is exactly the kind of vehicle that gets them there.

Why now: Kia’s US momentum is real

Timing-wise, the leak lands during one of the hottest streaks in the business. Kia America just posted its sixth consecutive month of record sales, selling 80,008 vehicles in October — up 16% from a year ago and the brand’s best October ever.

The EV side of that story is the interesting part: electrified vehicle sales jumped 112% year over year and hybrid sales 114%, both setting category records. The EV9 was up 111% to 1,406 units, the EV6 rose 58% to 803, and the brand-new EV3 sold 976 units in October, bringing its US total to 1,496 since it went on sale in mid-August. That $30,000 electric SUV — the 2027 EV3 starts at $29,890 — just reached American showrooms, and Kia’s sales chief thinks the streak has legs: “With six consecutive months of record-breaking sales, Kia is accelerating toward a fourth straight annual sales record,” Kia America vice president of sales Eric Watson said in the company’s November 3 sales release.

That’s the market the EV7 would walk into: a brand whose electric sales are growing 112% while the broader US EV market is still finding its post-tax-credit footing. Our look at Q3 2026 US EV sales found the market stabilizing at a 6.4% share — and Kia’s electrics are growing far faster than the average.

Will the EV7 come to America?

The honest answer: nobody knows yet. The leaked document only confirms Korean production at Gwangju, and Kia hasn’t said which markets the EV7 is headed for. But there are a few reasons to take the US question seriously.

First, the gap is obvious. American buyers love midsize SUVs, and Kia’s electric lineup jumps straight from the compact EV6 to the three-row EV9. Second, Kia is clearly willing to bring smaller EVs to the US when the math works — the EV3’s arrival this summer proved it. Third, Kia’s 2029 “flagship volume EV model” is explicitly aimed at trading up Sportage hybrid and plug-in hybrid owners — the same buyers a midsize electric SUV would target.

On the other side of the ledger: tariffs, local-content rules, and a Korean-built vehicle would face the full brunt of US import duties on EVs. Kia hasn’t said whether the EV7 would eventually be built in the US, and that’s the question that decides whether American dealers ever see it. Don’t book a deposit yet.

What it means for shoppers: should you wait?

No — not based on a leak. The EV7 exists only as a line in a factory document. It has no reveal date, no price, and no confirmed market. If you need a midsize electric SUV soon, today’s EV6 and EV9 are real cars you can buy, and dealers are dealing: Cox Automotive data shows EV9 incentives reaching as much as $16,000 in some cases as dealers clear stock.

But the leak does tell you something useful about Kia’s direction: the brand isn’t slowing its EV push, even with the federal tax credit gone. Between the EV3 landing at $29,890, a 2029 volume EV in the works, and now an EV7 confirmed on the factory floor plan, Kia is building toward a lineup where there’s an electric option in nearly every SUV segment. If you can wait, the back half of this decade gets a lot more interesting.