RHD Kia EV5 export production begins in China a week after debut in Thailand

Earlier this week, Kia announced that production of the Kia EV5 has begun in China for export markets. This comes a few days after the battery electric (BEV) crossover made its right-hand drive (RHD) market debut in Thailand.

The Kia EV5 made its world debut at the Chengdu Motor Show in August 2023 and was initially thought to be exclusive to the Chinese market. However, following the EV5’s Thai launch, it will be the first China-made global BEV for Kia.

The EV5 is built by Yueda Kia at its Yancheng plant. The joint venture aims to export 200,000 cars annually by 2026 which will be the company’s priority.

According to Car News China, Kia suffered from poor sales in China with only around 80,000 units sold in the country last year. However, Kia exported about 86,000 units from China last year, an increase of 125% over the previous year.

Kia Thailand offers two powertrain choices across 4 variants for the EV5 – a front-mounted 217 PS/310 Nm motor or dual motors that make a combined output of 308 PS/480 Nm.

These are juiced by a 64.2-kWh or an 88.1-kWh battery pack with up to 665-km of range. At its launch, the EV5 is priced in Thailand between THB 1.249 million and THB 1.749 million (~RM 162k-227k).

Also read: Challenging the Chinese BEVs, Kia EV5 makes Asian debut, priced from equivalent of RM 160k

There is no exact timeline for the EV5’s arrival in Malaysia but Kia’s distributor Dinamikjaya Motors will be bringing its larger sibling, the Kia EV9 soon into the country. Expect the EV9 to be priced much higher than the Kia EV6 which starts from RM 319,000.

Also read: Confirmed to launch in Malaysia next, this is the electrifying premium Kia EV9 BEV