This photo provided by Kia Corp. shows the exterior design of the EV5 SUV.
SEOUL, Aug. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — Kia Corp., South Korea’s second-biggest carmaker by sales, unveiled the design of the all-electric EV5 SUV on Friday, along with its plan to produce the new model at its plant in China.
Kia introduced the EV5 during the media day of the 2023 Chengdu International Automobile Industry exhibition, which opens to the public Saturday.
The EV5 will be Kia’s first dedicated EV model to be produced at its plant in Yancheng, and it will be available as localized models in other markets, the company said in a statement.
Kia aims to revive sales in the world’s biggest automobile market through the launches of its EV models amid an accelerating electrification, it said.
The company said it will release the EV5′s product details at the Kia EV Day in October.
The EV5 has been developed under Kia’s new design philosophy, “Opposites United,” which embodies its shifting focus toward electrification.
The EV5 is built on Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated EV platform called E-GMP. It is Kia’s third model equipped with the E-GMP platform after the EV6 launched in 2021 and the EV9 launched in June this year.
This photo provided by Kia shows the interior design of the EV5 SUV.
Kia has eight plants in South Korea — two in Gwangmyeong, three in Hwaseong and three in Gwangju — and six overseas — two in China and one each in the United States, Slovakia, Mexico and India.
Their overall annual capacity is 3.84 million units.
In China, Kia has been struggling with weak sales due to the lack of EV models and the lingering impact of a diplomatic dispute between Seoul and Beijing over the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system in South Korea in 2017.
Kia, the maker of K5 sedans and Sorento SUVs, aims to make a presence in the Chinese EV market by launching the EV5 and EV6 this year and the EV9 flagship SUV next year.
Kia said it will launch six EVs in China by 2027 as it sees the neighboring market as an important market for the company’s global strategy and future growth.
(Yonhap)
