The Kia EV5‘s launch may have recently been delayed, but the electric vehicle (EV) has been approved for sale in Australia – and government documents have revealed some key specifications.
The EV5 had been set to launch in June in Air and Earth guise, with the GT-Line following in the fourth quarter. Kia Australia is now saying the EV5 will launch in the second half of this year, with all three variants launching in tandem.
Kia Australia still has yet to announce local specifications for the mid-sized electric SUV.
The approval documents, however, list a total of five variants:
- Light: front-wheel drive, Standard Range battery, 18-inch alloy wheels
- Air: front-wheel drive, Standard Range battery, 18-inch alloy wheels
- Air: front-wheel drive, Long Range battery, 18-inch alloy wheels
- Earth: front-wheel drive, Long Range battery, 19-inch alloy wheels
- Earth: all-wheel drive, Long Range battery, 19-inch alloy wheels
It’s worth noting companies will sometimes have variants approved for sale that they don’t intend to offer, at least not at launch.
Front-wheel drive models feature a 160kW electric motor, while the Earth AWD adds a 70kW electric motor on the rear for a total output of 230kW.
Standard Range models use a 64kWh battery, while Long Range models have an 88kWh pack.
Both batteries use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, with the EV5 offering between 530km and 720km of range on the CLTC test cycle, depending on the variant.
The local filing includes towing capacity figures. For Standard Range models, this is 300kg braked and unbraked, while for Long Range models it’s 750kg unbraked and 1250kg braked.
EV5s have already been spied in Australia undergoing testing, while some have appeared at events like the recent RACQ Motorfest and Mornington Peninsula EV Expo.
It’s unclear if these vehicles are indicative of the spec of vehicles customers will take delivery of.
As Kia hasn’t announced pricing and specifications, we don’t yet know the full lists of equipment for the members of the EV5 range. Government approval documents also don’t go into a lot of detail when it comes to standard equipment.
Discussions on the Kia EV5 Australia group on Facebook indicate a vehicle on display at Mornington Kia, ostensibly an Earth, doesn’t have a head-up display, surround-view camera or power door handles despite these featuring on Earth models in New Zealand and Thailand.
In New Zealand, the EV5 is being offered in Light, Light+, Earth and GT-Line trim levels, but all with the Long Range battery standard.
Standard on the entry-level Light in New Zealand are the following features:
- LED headlights
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
- Satellite navigation
- Dual-zone climate control
- Cloth upholstery
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Reversing camera
The Light+ adds:
- Blind-Spot View Monitor
- Surround-view camera
- Side parking sensors
- Remote Smart Park Assist 2.0
- Power-folding exterior mirrors
- Cloth/leather upholstery
- Power driver’s seat
The Earth adds:
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- Privacy glass
- Auto flush door handles
- Power tailgate
- Leatherette upholstery
- Heated front seats
- Head-up display
- Wireless phone charger
- Heat pump
- V2L capability
The GT-Line adds:
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Panoramic sunroof
- 8-speaker Harman Kardon sound system
- Ambient lighting
- Driver’s seat memory
- Power passenger seat
- Console box with cooling and warming
As previously reported, the EV5’s local rollout has been delayed as the Korean brand works to resolve some 11th-hour issues.
“Due to unexpected wheel and software updates, we are unfortunately delaying the media launch of the EV5,” a Kia Australia spokesperson said in a statement.
“We are working closely with the factory to remedy these challenges to ensure we have sufficient supply and variants across the dealer network for the rescheduled launch, the date for which will be announced as soon as possible.
“Some inconsistencies were noted with wheel weights/balance, which we are working to resolve.”
Kia had scheduled a media launch event for the the EV5 on June 25-26, which was postponed.
MORE: Everything Kia EV5
