Kia reveals pricing for upcoming EV5 SUV as it starts a tour of NZ

Damien O’Carroll
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A prototype of the upcoming Kia EV5 midsize SUV will visit every Kia dealership in New Zealand as it makes its way from the north to the south of the country over the course of eight weeks, and to coincide with the prototype's tour, Kia New Zealand has also revealed pricing information for its third dedicated fully electric vehicle.

Following on from the EV6 and EV9, and sharing the EV9's chunky styling, the EV5 is a five-seat SUV that is broadly equivalent in size to the Sportage in Kia's ICE line up.

The EV5 is being built in both Korea and China, with cars coming to our market most likely being sourced from China, which will be a first for Kia NZ. The Chinese-produced entry level variant is equipped with a 64kWh battery pack with a claimed range of 530km and a single 160kW motor, while the Long Range version gets an 88kWh battery and a claimed range of 720km.

The long-range AWD model features the same 88kWh battery and a 650km range, as well as a combined output of 230kW from a front-wheel 160kW motor and a rear-wheel 70kW motor.

Local specification has yet to be confirmed, but Kia NZ has confirmed that the EV5 will start at $67,990 and all models offered in New Zealand will have a WLTP-tested range of "in excess of 500km, which could well rule out the 64kWh battery for our market, depending on whether the initial range claims were based on WLTP testing, which they usually aren't.

The prototype started its tour of the country's Kia dealerships at Botany Kia in Auckland and, as of this writing, is touring Kia dealerships in the Auckland area before starting its move down-country at Hamilton's Waikato Kia on the 11th of this month and finishing in Levin Kia on the 15th of May.

It's first South Island appearance will be at Nelson Kia on the 20th of May before it makes its way through mainland dealerships before finishing at Southland Kia on the 30th. A full itinerary of the EV5's tour can be seen at Kia's website here.

"The Kia EV5 is a midsize electric SUV that redefines sustainable mobility and will join the EV6 and multi-international award-winning EV9 as part of our zero-emissions model portfolio,” said Managing Director of Kia New Zealand, Todd McDonald.

"The tour is an excellent opportunity for people to see the new model for themselves and appreciate the design as well as understand its versatility and functionality.

"The EV5 is the perfect midsize electric SUV Kiwi families have been waiting for, it’s a no compromise proposition and features a very competitive price position considering the range and that it is laden with new technology.”

The EV5 prototype's tour follows a surprisingly comprehensive localisation programme that saw a team of 45 engineers covering almost 25,000km in it during the first quarter of this year, testing vehicle software and hardware to "further enhancing the new model’s suitability for Kiwi conditions".

Kia New Zealand also says the opportunity to pre-purchase one of the first EV5 to arrive in the country is now open at its dealers and, as an added incentive, a special ‘tour offer’ is also available that will give each of the first 100 customers who pre-order an EV5 will receive 10,000km of complimentary Road-User Charges for their new vehicle.

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