Kia will debut its newest electric vehicle in China next month at the annual Chengdu Motor Show. The Kia EV5 will be a tiny electric SUV with a starting price of around 50 million won (around $40,000), aimed squarely at the Tesla Model Y.
Kia presented the new EV5 electric SUV concept in March, just a week after presenting its flagship EV9.
Kia claims that the EV5 is influenced by the same “opposites united” design idea that can be seen throughout the company’s lineup.
Kia debuted a new design language, as well as a new logo, as part of a rebranding for the new electric era. Kia’s distinct design incorporates sharper sculpted lines, a muscular stance, and technological advancements when compared to prior models.
The EV5 embodies this with a new Digital Tiger Face grille in place of Kia’s trademark Tiger Nose Grille up front.
Kia created the electric SUV idea on the inside to provide a “space of coexistence” to improve connection with people, nature, and technology.
Also read: Kia Set to Launch an Affordable Entry-Level Electric Crossover
The EV5, according to Karim Habib, executive vice president and head of Kia Global Design Center, “is designed to inspire our customers on every journey, while providing sustainable and environmentally responsible solutions.”
Although the production version will most certainly have a more realistic inside configuration, we expect the outside to remain relatively similar, as prior concepts that have gone into production have demonstrated.
Kia did not provide any other information other than the fact that the electric SUV will be available in China later this year.
The EV5 will be unveiled next month during China’s annual Chengdu Motor Show, according to a fresh claim from The Korean Car Blog.
According to the source, Kia stated that the electric SUV will be priced “within the standard 50 million won range,” or roughly $40,000.
The base model will have a bigger battery capacity than the present Kia EV6 (77.4kWh) and will be expandable to 82 kWh. The long-range model is predicted to have a range of about 600 km (372 mi).
While the NCM battery will be used in other markets, the LFP battery will be used in China. The EV5 will, according to insiders, be based on a 400V system rather than the 800V employed by current Hyundai Motor Group EVs that ride on the E-GMP platform. As a result, Kia is able to offer the electric SUV at a lesser cost.
The EV5 will face fierce competition in the thriving Chinese EV market, as EV manufacturers such as BYD and Tesla continue to take a larger slice of the pie.
The EV5 is aimed squarely at Tesla’s Model Y, with a starting price of roughly $40,000. The Model Y starts at $36.9K (263,900 yuan) in China and has a CLTC range of 545 km (338 mi). The long-range variant starts at $43.9K (313,900 yuan) and has a range of approximately 400 kilometers.
Kia anticipates that the EV5 electric SUV will be critical to its efforts to gain market share in the world’s largest EV market. It will be the automaker’s first model produced in China that will also be exported.
Kia EV5 new electric SUV appears to be a terrific deal for those of us in the United States, and it is. However, China’s market is fiercely competitive, with significant price cuts hurting the bottom lines of many automakers.
Will the Kia EV5 be able to compete with Tesla’s Model Y? Not only that but would it be able to compete with domestic EV manufacturers such as BYD, which sells the Yuan Plus electric crossover for less than $20K?
Kia will strive to show the world that it is a real competitor, and the EV5 is slated to be a showcase for that. Stay tuned for further information on the debut of the Kia EV5.
