Earlier this month, South Korea can maker Kia announced the pricing and specs of its upcoming 7-seater electric people mover, the EV9 . With a starting price closing in on $100,000, it would only be a select few who could afford to buy one.
Now, Kia has offered hope at the other end of the market, revealing the pricing of its upcoming smaller electric SUV in China – the EV5 – that will come in a a starting price of 149,800 RMB in China, which equates to around $A32,000.
This pricing was unveiled at the Guangzhou auto show. For comparison, the Model Y is priced from 266,400 RMB or $A52,000 in China.
The new model will be offered in three trims in the Chinese market which include:
- Light – 149,800 RMB
- Air – 159,800 RMB
- Land – 174,800 RMB
Entry-level EV5 will be equipped with a 64.2 kWh battery which will offer up to 530 km of CLTC range. Meanwhile, a larger 88.1 kWh can bump that range up to 720 km.
It’s likely to be closer to 550-600 km when tested on the WLTP cycle which is commonly used in Australia.
The EV5 is also based on Hyundai Group’s E-GMP EV platform which offers an 800-Volt architecture. This means faster charging speeds at high-powered chargers.
Dimensions-wise it’s slightly shorter than the Tesla Model Y, coming in at:
- 4,615 mm in length
- 1,875 mm in width
- 1,715 mm in height
On the other hand, it’s longer than the Kia e-Niro which comes in a 4,420 mm in length.
Design-wise, the Kia EV5 takes a lot of inspiration from the EV9. It has Kia’s “Tiger-face” front -grille design. It will be offered in nine colours on offer including a matte option which Kia calls “Ivory Silver”.
On the inside, a familiar Hyundai/Kia group design feel is there with an infotainment screen blending into the screen behind the rectangular-shaped steering wheel.
Apart from that, the cabin appears minimalistic, which is to be expected from a ground-up EV from Kia.
The EV5 has gone on sale in China with international launch details likely to follow in the coming months.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.