The Kia Concept EV5 Debuts To Preview Future SUV

The Kia Concept EV5 premiered at the brand's Chinese EV Day event to preview the look of an upcoming model. The electric crossover goes on sale in that region later this year. Details about the availability elsewhere will come later.

The Concept EV5 is purely a design showcase for the future SUV. Kia doesn't provide any powertrain or platform details about the model.

The exterior has an upright, chiseled shape that is similar to the larger Kia EV9. Both models share a blunt nose and vertically oriented headlights on the extreme outer edges. They also have comparable profiles with heavily creased lines extending horizontally from the fenders and a generally minimalist aesthetic. The rear wears bracket-shaped taillights that span the tail's entire width.

Kia says the Concept EV5's exterior is the custom shade Iceberg Matte Green. In the images, the shade appears to be silver with some subtle blue undertones. It rides on 21-inch wheels with an asymmetrical design. 

The interior has a softer aesthetic than the brutalist body. The dashboard is a slab with a single screen spanning roughly half of the width. The driver grips an octagonal steering wheel, and there are a few capacitive buttons next to it.

There isn't a traditional center console between the seats. Instead, there's a little storage area ahead of the chairs, which allows the seating to be more of a bench. 

Like the EV9, the Concept EV5 has swiveling seats. In the gallery above, Kia shows this off by setting up a little lounge outside the vehicle and turning the chairs to face it.

A full-length panoramic sunroof occupies the roof. It also acts as a solar panel, but Kia offers no details about whether this is for charging the battery or for providing power for another vehicle function.

The Concept EV5's cabin uses a variety of sustainable materials. This includes recycled plastic bottles for the seats, doors, dashboard, and headliner.

We discussed the recently revealed Kia EV9 on the latest episode of the Inside EVs podcast. Check it out below.