The production version of the forthcoming Kia EV5 electric mid-sized SUV has been revealed ahead of its expected reveal at this year’s Chendgu motor show, which commences on August 25.
A filing from the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), as reported by CarNewsChina, shows the production EV5 looks very similar to the Concept EV5 that was revealed earlier this year.
The EV5 is said to come with a single electric motor producing 160kW of power and 310Nm of torque. Top speed is limited to 185km/h.
It’s understood the Chinese-market Kia EV5 will come with a BYD-sourced lithium iron phosphate (LFP) Blade battery pack with a capacity of 77.4kWh. It’ll also offer up to 600km of range according to an undisclosed testing cycle.
There’ll also be an export-market version of the EV5 with a nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery with a capacity of up to 82kWh.
The MIIT filing reveals the EV5 measures in at 4615mm long, 1875mm wide, and 1715mm tall with a 2750mm wheelbase. That makes it very similar in size to the Sportage.
As previously reported, the Kia EV5 will be built in China for the domestic market as well as export markets.
Kia head of global product planning Hyunsik Park also confirmed in June the electric SUV will be built in left- and right-hand drive for global markets.
It’s not year clear if it’ll come Down Under, although Kia Australia says it’s keen for the EV5 if it’s made available.
The EV5 will ride on a new platform designed for more affordable electric vehicles (EVs) rather than the E-GMP architecture currently underpinning the EV6 and EV9.
It’s not clear if it’ll be a standalone architecture, or a variation of the recently announced Integrated Modular Architecture (IMA).
It will be a lower-voltage (400V) platform, which suggests it won’t be able to hit the same charging speeds as cars built on the 800V E-GMP architecture.
Concept EV5
If the Kia EV5 comes Down Under it’ll compete against a growing pool of electric SUVs – led by the top-selling Tesla Model Y.
Kia has previously confirmed it plans to reveal 14 new electric cars between now and 2027.
Autocar recently reported Kia Europe marketing chief David Hilbert saying the brand will “have coverage in all major segments”, including passenger cars.
“All the major segments will be covered in some form [by 2027],” he said.
Mr Hilbert specifically mentioned the B-SUV segment in Europe and how it is now the largest segment there.
It currently fields the petrol-powered Stonic, but doesn’t have a rival to similarly sized electric SUVs like the Peugeot e-2008 and Jeep Avenger.
Such a model could reportedly wear the EV3 name, and Kia has hinted it could offer everything from an EV1 all the way up to the previously revealed EV9.
In 2021, Kia teased a range of upcoming EVs including a coupe, sedan, and what looked like a light hatchback.
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