Kia Australia has confirmed its mid-sized electric SUV – the all-new EV5 – will be arriving in market around the middle of the year.
The Korean brand’s local product boss, Roland Rivero, told Australian media at the launch of the updated Sorento SUV that its new, Chinese-made electric SUV can be expected around the “middle part of this year”, though it “could creep just into the third quarter”.
It’s understood the 2024 Kia EV5 should undercut or at least be positioned in the same realm as the Korean-sourced Niro EV, which currently kicks off from $66,590 plus on-road costs for the base S.
Keep in mind the EV5 is a larger vehicle more in line with the popular Sportage, while the Niro is something of an electrified companion to the Seltos.
Riding on the same E-GMP dedicated electric vehicle architecture as the EV6 and EV9 – as well as the Hyundai Ioniq range – the Kia EV5 offers three drivetrain variants in the Chinese market, which could prove an indication of what to expect of the Australian-spec range later this year.
The EV5 Standard is powered by a front-mounted 160kW electric motor which is paired with a 64kWh battery pack. Kia claims it has a driving range of up to 530km according to lenient CLTC testing.
The EV5 Long Range has the same front-mounted 160kW electric motor as the Standard model but has a larger 88kWh battery pack. The South Korean carmaker claims this variant has a driving range of up to 720km according to lenient CLTC testing.
The EV5 Long Range AWD adds a 70kW rear-mounted electric motor, bringing system outputs to 230kW. It’s paired with a 70kWh battery pack with a claimed range of up to 650km according to CLTC testing. All Chinese-made versions of the EV5 feature lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery units sourced from BYD.
In addition to these core EV5 models, the South Korean carmaker has confirmed a high-performance GT will be revealed at a later date.
Regardless of the variant, Kia claims the EV5 offers “fast-charging capability”, and it can be charged from 30 to 80 per cent in 27 minutes. The EV5 is based on a 400V electrical architecture as opposed to the 800V system on the EV6 and EV9.
Additionally, given Australian EV5 models will use the BYD LFP batteries, the charging capacity will be lowered compared to the li-ion units used by the EV6 and EV9 (350kW).
Full pricing and specifications will be revealed closer to local market launch later this year.
The Kia EV5 will compete with a range of electric SUVs when it arrives Down Under, likely competing on price with everything from the Hyundai Kona EV to the Tesla Model Y. New competitors are on the horizon too, such as the Volkswagen ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq.
A lot of this hinges on the price point Kia can achieve. We’re expecting the base EV5 to start around the $55,000-$60,000 mark and sit in the $75,000-$80,000 realm in flagship guise.
Stay tuned to CarExpert for all the latest, and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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