Kia has made public the details of the upcoming EV5 electric SUV in Korea and China. This little box will come with one motor for short range, one for long range, or two for extended range. There will be a faster EV5 GT, but little is known about it. Kia first showed off the EV5 electric SUV in August, but the Korean carmaker didn’t give us any information then; they only showed us how it looked. This time, Kia threw us some crumbs for its EV Day party. At Kia’s EV Day event, the smaller EV3 and EV4 models are shown off, and more information is given about the EV5, the third car in Kia’s electric family, following the EV6 and EV9. Most of the things discussed here are relevant to China and Korea because that’s where the cars will be made and sold first. The EV5, EV6, and EV9 can all be used on the same E-GMP device. The EV5 will come in three styles in China: A short-range front-driver A long-range front-driver An all-wheel-drive long-range model The basic model has a battery that can hold 64.0 kWh, and a motor with 215 hp moves the front wheels. Based on China’s highly optimistic CLTC standard, Kia says the range is 329 miles. According to CLTC, the range of the single-motor long-range EV5 model is increased to 447 miles while keeping the same 215-hp electric motor on the front end. The battery capacity is raised to 88.0 kWh. The long-distance AWD type adds a second, less powerful motor to the back. This makes the total output 308 horsepower. CLTC says the single-motor long-range type can go 404 miles on a single charge. In Korea, the same EV5s will be sold, but the batteries will be a bit smaller, and the power will be lower. We also have a better idea of what the EV5 is like. There will be three-zone temperature control as well as a heat pump. A separate 5.0-inch screen shows the temperature, and the dashboard has a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel and a 12.3-inch touchscreen for entertainment. Except for the buttons on the steering wheel, Kia tries to put as few actual buttons as possible in their cars. For the inside, more smart ideas are being worked on. While Kia advertises a front-row bench seat, it’s more of a driver’s seat and a passenger seat that’s big enough to replace a standard center console—at least in China. Other countries will get a classic center console with an armrest instead. Plant leather or recycled PET plastic can be used to make the seats. There will also be massage chairs. On the other hand, the inside is only interesting when it’s time to camp out. The back of the car can be turned into a bedroom by folding down the second row of seats. It will be pretty tight, though. With a fridge/warmer that can also be used as a table and a bag barrier that can be used as a table, roughing it sounds okay. Kia also said an improved EV5 GT is coming, but they wouldn’t know more. It would appear that patience is a valuable trait. Things are becoming less apparent when it comes to the American market. During Kia’s official EV Day news meeting on October 10, President and CEO Ho Sung Song told the press that the EV5 would be sold in the US. At a different meeting that same day, a second high-level Kia employee confirmed what had been said. Kia changed its mind about these claims on October 11, when it is considering exporting the EV5 to North America beginning in 2025. It is planned that the EV5 will not be made in North America. A person familiar with Kia’s plans told Invoice Pricing that the EV5 will not come to the United States because the Inflation Reduction Act 2022 makes it harder to make cars here. This is because the act changed the incentives for selling electric vehicles in the United States. Plans will not likely change before the expected “North American” arrival in mid-2025, so we wouldn’t hold our breath.
