{"id":241671,"date":"2023-10-12T09:49:40","date_gmt":"2023-10-12T09:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/?p=241671"},"modified":"2023-10-12T09:49:40","modified_gmt":"2023-10-12T09:49:40","slug":"the-2025-kia-ev5-seems-like-a-winner-but-is-it-coming-to-america-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/the-2025-kia-ev5-seems-like-a-winner-but-is-it-coming-to-america-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2025 Kia EV5 Seems Like A Winner: But Is It Coming To America?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to electric vehicles, Kia isn\u2019t messing around. It wants nearly 40 percent of its global sales to be all-electric by 2030, and perhaps even more ambitiously, it\u2019s targeting 1 million EV sales annually by 2026. But that\u2019s an impossible goal these days without a midsize crossover, so enter the 2025 Kia EV5 \u2013 something that feels all but certain to be an electric crowd-pleaser. <\/span><\/p>\n

The EV5 was unveiled in production form for the first time ever at Kia\u2019s inaugural EV Day event in Seoul this week. There, Kia also showed off two all-new concepts headed to production soon; revealed some ambitious plans for software and direct sales; and briefed reporters from all over the world on what\u2019s next up for its sustainability goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

The EV5 seems destined to be a key part of its electric growth plans. It slots in below the performance-focused EV6 crossover, borrowing looks from the flagship EV9 crossover with <\/span>what should be a more attainable price<\/span>. During a roundtable discussion, Kia President and Co-CEO Ho-Sung Song said it\u2019s targeted to range from about $35,000 to $50,000, but no other pricing details were immediately available.<\/span><\/p>\n

Until now, Kia was cagey on whether the EV5 was headed to the US or not. Song said the EV5 would be exported here, something Min Woo Park on Kia\u2019s global product team also reiterated. But Kia America officials later walked that back as EV Day was wrapping up. The automaker now says it might be coming to North America, but no mention of the US directly. So which is it, and who got what wrong? <\/span><\/p>\n

“Kia is considering to export the EV5 to North America starting from 2025,\u201d the automaker said in a statement. \u201cThere is no plan to produce the EV5 in North America.”<\/span><\/p>\n

If the EV5 doesn\u2019t arrive in the US, that\u2019s likely to be a disappointment to buyers who might see it as the Goldilocks option in the Kia family so far, the \u201cjust right\u201d one \u2013 the sweet spot. Whatever metaphor you pick, the EV5 seems poised to be a hit with a lot of folks. They just may or may not be Americans. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>The Specs We Know<\/h2>\n

Kia said the EV5 will come in three forms: Standard, Long Range, and Long Range AWD, with the latter packing the customary dual-motor setup. Interestingly enough, and unlike the other Kia cars on <\/span>Hyundai Motor Group\u2019s E-GMP platform<\/span>, the EV5 is front-wheel-drive, a Kia America spokesperson said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Standard cars boast a 64-kilowatt-hour battery pack, while the Long-Range cars get an upgrade to 84 kilowatt-hours. On China\u2019s Combined Charging and Load Cycle (CLTC) standards, the EV5 gets 530 kilometers (330 miles) of range for the Standard car; 720 kilometers (447 miles) for the Long Range front-wheel-drive car; and 650 kilometers (403 miles) for the Long Range AWD model. Kia didn\u2019t say how that might translate to an EPA-certified electric range.<\/span><\/p>\n

Interestingly, unlike the other cars in the E-GMP family, the EV5 will only come with a 400-volt electric architecture \u2013 not the 800-volt system those cars helped pioneer and <\/span>something that\u2019s increasingly becoming an industry standard<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

What that means for consumers is that the EV5 won\u2019t have quite the lightning-quick fast charging times that other cars in that family have. Kia says the EV5 can go from a 30 percent charge to 80 percent in 27 minutes on a fast charger. That\u2019s a step down from the EV6, which can go from 10 percent to 80 percent <\/span>in a comparably scant 18 minutes<\/span>. Kia\u2019s global product chief also told me there are no plans to give the EV5 an 800-volt system, either. <\/span><\/p>\n

Why did Kia go this route? Spencer Cho, Kia\u2019s head of global business planning, said that the brand\u2019s EV rollout strategy began with its highest-tech efforts, but it also needs to seek more volume as well. \u201cWe started our maximum [technology], the highest speeds of charging conditions,\u201d Cho said. \u201cNone of our other competitors offered that capacity. At the same time, we also have to tackle the mainstream segment, not only for the EV6 or EV9 segment. So the E-GMP platform can accommodate smaller and medium-sized vehicles, which are not necessarily going to have the 800-volt charging capabilities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Last but not least, Kia officials confirmed a more performance-focused EV5 GT is coming too. No specs on that have been released yet, but if it\u2019s anything close to what the EV6 GT can do, the kids will never be late to school again. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Embrace The Box<\/h2>\n

Even if it won\u2019t have the lightning-quick charging of the EV6, the EV6 has a lot to offer. Like the Kia Soul and EV9 before it, the EV5 embraces boxiness as a means to maximize cargo space. Size-wise, it\u2019s very clearly a competitor to the Volkswagen ID.4, Nissan Ariya and Tesla Model 3 \u2013 but where those cars go round and aerodynamic, the EV5 skews angular instead. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe went a little more boxy than our competitors today to give more flexibility on the use of space,\u201d Kia\u2019s design chief Karim Habib told me in Seoul. \u201cI\u2019m personally very proud of the combination of things this car brings.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The front end features what Kia calls its \u201cSignature Star Map Lighting\u201d with a pattern of LEDs inspired by star constellations, and the taillights form a similar pattern too. A few other design standouts include the extending door handles like the EV9 and the narrow black and silver accents on the D-pillar. It\u2019s a handsome car, and remarkably similar to <\/span>the EV5 Concept we saw a few months ago<\/span>. I\u2019m also a fan of the angular alloy wheels, which don\u2019t look like much else on the road right now. For a family-mover crossover \u2013 and Kia\u2019s very upfront that this thing is aimed at millennial families \u2013 it\u2019s far from boring.<\/span><\/p>\n

That trend continues with the interior too, where the EV5 manages to carve out an identity distinct from the EV6. It\u2019s quite a bit closer to the EV9 inside, complete with a good amount of actual, physical buttons, along with Kia\u2019s volume roller switch for the stereo and some haptic controls right below the touchscreen. <\/span><\/p>\n

One feature that especially stands out is the front row seats, which have a miniature middle section to form a kind of bench seat. While that conjures images of land-yacht American cruisers, this seat is pretty small \u2013 really an extension of the passenger seat and still featuring the center console below it. While that\u2019s an interesting feature, it is only available in China, Kia confirmed. <\/span><\/p>\n

Even so, the EV5\u2019s rear seat folds fully flat for the occasional camping trip, while a rear console refrigerator\/warmer keeps your food tasting fresh. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>The America Question<\/h2>\n

Kia officials confirmed the EV5 would not be made at <\/span>Hyundai\u2019s new $5.5 billion Georgia Metaplant<\/span> or in Alabama either; instead, production will happen in Korea and China, two of Kia\u2019s other major EV manufacturing hubs. (This also explains why so many of the specs we have now are China-specific.) <\/span><\/p>\n

However, confusion arose as to whether the EV5 was a product meant for Americans at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

Initially, Song, Kia\u2019s chief executive, was adamant that it would be. \u201cWe don\u2019t have any plans to build the EV5 in the United States,\u201d Song said. \u201cWe have a different model we will build there\u2026 [but] we will export our EV5 to the United States.\u201d Song also said the Inflation Reduction Act limits Kia\u2019s ability to achieve volume sales with the EV5 since non-US production <\/span>means it won\u2019t qualify for tax incentives unless it\u2019s leased<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

The story changed later when Kia officials said there were no plans to bring the EV5 to the U.S. and that it may just be sold in Canada instead, before officially saying the company is \u201c<\/span>considering\u201d the car for export to North America.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the carefully rehearsed world of automotive industry corporate communications, it was an odd moment. Equally odd would be not bringing the EV5 to America. The car seems like it\u2019d be a genuine hit here, sized right for <\/span>families who don\u2019t need the performance edge of the EV6 <\/span>or the space and price tag of the EV9<\/span>. And why wouldn\u2019t the president of a huge, global company know where his own cars are going? Especially at Kia\u2019s EV Day, something it hopes to do annually moving forward. <\/span><\/p>\n

Your guess is as good as mine at this point. <\/span><\/p>\n

Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When it comes to electric vehicles, Kia isn\u2019t messing around. It wants nearly 40 percent of its global sales to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":241670,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe 2025 Kia EV5 Seems Like A Winner: But Is It Coming To America? - AutoMotoBuzz.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/the-2025-kia-ev5-seems-like-a-winner-but-is-it-coming-to-america-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The 2025 Kia EV5 Seems Like A Winner: But Is It Coming To America? - AutoMotoBuzz.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When it comes to electric vehicles, Kia isn\u2019t messing around. It wants nearly 40 percent of its global sales to\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/the-2025-kia-ev5-seems-like-a-winner-but-is-it-coming-to-america-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"AutoMotoBuzz.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-10-12T09:49:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"mediabest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/The-2025-Kia-EV5-Seems-Like-A-Winner-But-Is-It-Coming-To-America.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"mediabest\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/the-2025-kia-ev5-seems-like-a-winner-but-is-it-coming-to-america-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/the-2025-kia-ev5-seems-like-a-winner-but-is-it-coming-to-america-2\/\",\"name\":\"The 2025 Kia EV5 Seems Like A Winner: But Is It Coming To America? - AutoMotoBuzz.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-10-12T09:49:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-12T09:49:40+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/the-2025-kia-ev5-seems-like-a-winner-but-is-it-coming-to-america-2\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/the-2025-kia-ev5-seems-like-a-winner-but-is-it-coming-to-america-2\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/the-2025-kia-ev5-seems-like-a-winner-but-is-it-coming-to-america-2\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Car Reviews\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/category\/car-reviews\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"The 2025 Kia EV5 Seems Like A Winner: But Is It Coming To America?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/\",\"name\":\"AutoMotoBuzz.com\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609\",\"name\":\"mediabest\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"mediabest\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The 2025 Kia EV5 Seems Like A Winner: But Is It Coming To America? - AutoMotoBuzz.com","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/the-2025-kia-ev5-seems-like-a-winner-but-is-it-coming-to-america-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The 2025 Kia EV5 Seems Like A Winner: But Is It Coming To America? - AutoMotoBuzz.com","og_description":"When it comes to electric vehicles, Kia isn\u2019t messing around. It wants nearly 40 percent of its global sales to","og_url":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/the-2025-kia-ev5-seems-like-a-winner-but-is-it-coming-to-america-2\/","og_site_name":"AutoMotoBuzz.com","article_published_time":"2023-10-12T09:49:40+00:00","author":"mediabest","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/The-2025-Kia-EV5-Seems-Like-A-Winner-But-Is-It-Coming-To-America.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"mediabest","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/the-2025-kia-ev5-seems-like-a-winner-but-is-it-coming-to-america-2\/","url":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/the-2025-kia-ev5-seems-like-a-winner-but-is-it-coming-to-america-2\/","name":"The 2025 Kia EV5 Seems Like A Winner: But Is It Coming To America? - AutoMotoBuzz.com","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-10-12T09:49:40+00:00","dateModified":"2023-10-12T09:49:40+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/the-2025-kia-ev5-seems-like-a-winner-but-is-it-coming-to-america-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/the-2025-kia-ev5-seems-like-a-winner-but-is-it-coming-to-america-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/the-2025-kia-ev5-seems-like-a-winner-but-is-it-coming-to-america-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Car Reviews","item":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/category\/car-reviews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The 2025 Kia EV5 Seems Like A Winner: But Is It Coming To America?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/","name":"AutoMotoBuzz.com","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609","name":"mediabest","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"mediabest"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241671"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241671\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}