Perhaps it will pose a problem to its own electric KIA e-Niro, but the South Korean brand has just released the KIA EV5 as its cheapest electric within this ‘new generation’ made up of the EV9 and EV6. And for us to locate ourselves, the KIA EV5 is a product with dimensions similar to those of the KIA Sportage. That is to say, we are probably also facing its most important electric vehicle – to date – because, let’s remember, the KIA Sportage is a true ‘top seller’ today. And they fit into a really important segment for the brand in Europe. Very good, but let’s see what exactly does it offer
At the moment the KIA EV5 is going to be manufactured and sold in China, where by the way it has been designed, although it will arrive in Europe later, and for that they have planned a specific event in October. It is the third launch of the new family of KIA electrics, It is the smallest, and it will also be the cheapest. A model that will become the electric alternative to the KIA Sportage, and that comes to the market to become an alternative to the Skoda Enyaq, the Mercedes EQB, the Fisker Ocean, and the Ford Explorer, among some others.
Does the new KIA EV5 aim to be a bestseller?
Although the brand, even having revealed its final design both exterior and interior, is reluctant to reveal its technical sheet, everything indicates that it will be available with a 213 hp engine that develops 310 Nm of maximum torque. It is expected to use, yes, a 400 V electrical architecture, simpler than the 800 V of the EV6 and EV9, so that production costs are kept more contained and, in this way, it can have a lower price. Now, this will affect its efficiency and range and put it in a situation more similar to that of the electric KIA e-Niro.
The South Korean brand has already promised that all its electric cars will have a GT version, so it will arrive later but there will be a KIA EV5 GT in the range, and it will be distinguished by having an all-wheel drive system. This means that this configuration, sportier on an aesthetic level and technically more performance, will have two electric motors and each of them will be connected to an axis. Of course, at the moment we do not know what its maximum power will be and what other technical differences it will bring with it.
As of today, the electric KIA e-Niro, which is positioned below in the segment, is sold for 27,000 euros, already counting on the 7,000 euros discount of the MOVES III Plan. For its part, the Skoda Enyaq is priced at 37,000 euros, more or less, and the Mercedes EQB is already going up to no less than 56,000 euros. The price of the KIA EV5 may be around 35,000 to 40,000 euros, approximately, and it offers not only a more complete interior than the electric KIA e-Niro, but also a more advanced electrical system and, in addition, greater range.
In October we should have new details about the European version of the new KIA EV5, but for now, this is all the information we have available. Above all, at least now we have official images of what will become KIA’s cheapest electric car within its new generation products. In the case of a model that enters the KIA Sportage segment, and taking into account that this model has become the best-selling car in Europe, of course, it can be very successful in our market if the brand is right with the price.
