The Kia EV5, the third electric vehicle in Kia's "EV-" series, has made its production debut. The Kia EV5, a compact SUV that bears a striking similarity to the Kia EV9, was "designed and engineered to meet the needs of millennial families," according to the manufacturer. In a moment, we'll talk more about what that entails. This year, the Kia EV5 will make its premiere in China before moving on to a few other international markets.

The Kia EV's exterior has the brand's signature "Opposites United" styling and a contemporary take on the "Tiger mask," which has come to represent the company. Given that the Kia Concept EV5 served as a very good preview of the Kia EV5's design, this isn't really our first look at it. Except for prominent components like the door handles and side mirrors, the most of the exterior design elements have been kept.






As the head of the Kia Global Design Center and Executive Vice President, Karim Habib stated, "The Kia EV5 was developed to revolutionize the compact SUV class with a form formed by Kia's unique design philosophy 'Opposites United'. Kia's designers and engineers collaborated closely at every level to develop a comprehensive approach to sustainable transportation. As a result, the EV5 provides new levels of driver enjoyment and user experience while also setting a new benchmark for design, performance, and practicality.

Kia claims that the EV5 has been "designed and engineered to meet the needs of millennial families" inside, which is where things get interesting. What does this actually mean? According to a study by Kia, millennial households increasingly view the interior of an EV SUV as an additional "room" in which to spend their lives rather than merely a place to relax safely and comfortably when traveling from point A to point B.





And in order to accommodate this, Kia's interior designers entirely redesigned the interior of the car. The EV5 has a huge interior space that is more akin to a home lounge in idea and execution than a standard automobile cabin. They drew additional influence from the newly released larger EV9 SUV .




The interior of the EV5 isn't as striking as that of the concept version, but it does have variable mood lighting (across the front portion of the crash pad as well as the front and rear door trims) that syncs with the vehicle's drive modes, dims in low light, and subtly alerts the driver if the vehicle deviates from the speed limit, increasing driver awareness and engagement.




The EV5's interior also has controls for the heater and the latest generation connected car Navigation & Cockpit (ccNC). This allows users to choose their preferred settings as easily as if they were sitting in their favorite chair at home.

At the upcoming "Kia EV Day" in October, the Kia EV5's complete specifications will be made public.