RHD Kia EV5 export production begins in China a week after debut in Thailand
CY Foong Β· Apr 5, 2024 02:10 PM
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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 EV5βs 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 companyβs 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 β 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).
There is no exact timeline for the EV5βs arrival in Malaysia but Kiaβs 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.
Traded advertising for a career that fits his passion for cars. Enjoys spotting cars during his free time and has a soft spot for Japanese Kei cars but drives a thirsty manual sedan.