Why The Kia EV5 Could Be A Huge Hit In The USA – CleanTechnica

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Kia and Hyundai have been building electric vehicles for the past decade that have been highly praised by EV fans who pay close attention to the details of these cars. However, that hasn’t led to the biggest sales numbers. It seems something goes wrong between development of these electric vehicles and marketing them that dampens results. That comes to mind again today because I’ve been thinking about how well the Kia EV5 could do in the USA and I’ve also been thinking that I’m probably going to be letdown by Kia’s marketing and sales of the EV.

First of all, let’s just note that it might not even make it to the USA. The press release from Kia this week stated, “Global rollout of Kia EV5 will begin in H2 2025, starting in Korea and Europe, with sales in Canada to follow in early 2026.” No mention of the US. At a time when the US federal government is openly hostile to EVs, tariffs are slamming the country, and other automakers are pulling back EV plans, it’s not surprising if Kia has just decided it’s not going to even go into Donald Trump territory with a new EV model.

That said, frustratingly (given the above), the EV5 has a lot of potential. It’s a nicely sized middle-of-the-road SUV that fits into a class a lot of buyers gravitate towards. It’s got a somewhat traditional but also somewhat futuristics or modern look. It comes in two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive variants. Its interior seems like it would be a very popular balance of quality and cost.

Furthermore, it’s got an 81 kWh battery that provides 520–530 km (323–329 miles) of range on a full charge. What more can a person need?

Whereas the EV6 (which I absolutely love) has a sleek, city professional, lower look to it, the EV5 has a bulky, “I’m an SUV,” kid-transporter look to it, which has been especially popular for years in the USA.

Overall, this looks like a perfect kind of mass-market “value for money” offering, the kind that could see tens of thousands of sales a quarter. That said, unfortunately, Kia has not demonstrated a willingness or ability to really jack up EV demand. I think the EV5 could be the model that changes that. However, if it’s not even going to be offered in the USA, probably not.

“We have built the EV5 to appeal to a broad range of potential needs, with a particular focus on the diverse lifestyles of millennial customers,” says Ho Sung Song, President and CEO at Kia Corporation. “The EV5 delivers the comfort of a ‘home away from home’ combined with advanced connectivity and a dynamic driving experience, offering young families an ideal solution tailored to their lifestyles. By expanding the EV customer base in this way, the model will play a key role in accelerating the shift toward electrified mobility.” Indeed. But is Kia going to actually offer this “home” to US customers, and if it does, will it aim to exponentially increase EV interest and EV5 production capacity? I’m afraid to answer that.