You may see several Kia electric vehicles (EVs) driving around on South African roads over the coming years, but it’s likely going to be a while until they appear in showrooms.
At the recent preview of the Korean manufacturer’s new Tasman bakkie, Albrecht Gründel, Director of Sales Marketing at Kia South Africa, explained that the local market has been a tough one to crack for EVs from a pricing perspective.
High levels of taxes make these vehicles unaffordable for many, while an unstable electricity grid and a perceived lack of charging infrastructure further muddy the waters.
Gründel also said that, unlike many European countries, South Africa doesn’t have the luxury of government incentives which makes it “really difficult” to bring in a competitively priced model.
On that note, Kia is still preparing for the day when all the stars align and the market allows for the introduction of a wallet-friendly EV.
It is therefore homologating all its EVs in South Africa despite not putting them on sale.
Homologation refers to the process of certifying that a vehicle complies with all the relevant legislation, standards, and specifications of a particular country, as well as codes of practice, before use by the public on public roads.
Gründel said that Kia is getting this lengthy process out of the way as early as possible so that it can launch its EVs with haste should demand start rising, even if this only happens years from now.
In the same breath, he said that Kia is considering launching the new EV5 in South Africa as soon as 2025.
However, should it go ahead with these plans, the EV5 will only be introduced in a small batch for well-to-do early adopters who can afford it and won’t be readily available to the masses.
A six-seater EV
Kia displayed the battery-powered EV5 alongside the Tasman and new Sorento and Carnival to give South African media a taste of what the company has been cooking up across the pond.
It boasts the handsome design language adopted by all Kia’s latest EVs, underscored by large surfaces, sharp creases, and angular LED lighting fixtures.
The sizeable SUV measures 4,615mm from nose to tail, 1,875mm from left to right, and 1,715mm from top to bottom, putting it right in between the Sportage and Sorento – though due to its blockier proportions, it does have more visual presence than its stablemates.
The EV5’s cabin was designed to function as a “room to live in” instead of just “a place to sit safely and comfortably when travelling from A to B,” said Kia’s global marketing team when it unveiled the vehicle.
To that end, it’s very spacious with plenty of storage pockets and seats for up to six occupants including the driver. That’s right, six people can ride around in this two-row Kia, three in the front and three in the rear.
At a quick glance, it seems that the EV5 only comes with two front seats and a centre armrest like just about every other mass-market car out there, but when you look closer, you’ll notice that the armrest can be folded up to transform into a backrest for a centrally seated passenger.
This spot will likely only be used in a pinch and by the smallest of riders, though it should undoubtedly come in handy during the course of ownership.
Of course, the EV5 also ships with a generous amount of comfort-oriented fittings.
It boasts dual-zone climate control, electrically adjustable and heated seats, a heated steering wheel, artificial leather upholstery, a wireless smartphone charger, plenty of USB ports, and a big 12.3-inch driver’s display with an infotainment system of equal size.
The rear seats also have tray tables, similar to what you’ll see on an aeroplane.
Kia provided no details on the powertrain of the EV5 for South Africa, though in other markets, it’s equipped with a front-mounted electric motor putting out 217kW and 310Nm.
This is enough to get the EV up to 100km/h in 8.5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 185km/h.
It also gets one of two battery packs depending on the variant, comprising a 64.2kWh or an 88.1kWh cell.
The smaller unit allows for a maximum driving range of 400km on the WLTP standard which grows to 540km with the larger one.
The Kia also provides Vehicle-to-Load functionality that enables owners to use unspent energy to power external devices such as laptops or camp lights.
Kia EV5 South African preview
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