Kia EV5 officially unveiled, check out the new compact electric SUV
Kia officially unveiled its new compact electric SUV, the EV5, at the Chengdu Motor Show on Friday. The new EV5 is a family-friendly electric SUV influenced by the flagship EV9. Check out the official images below.
Kia unveils its new compact electric SUV, the EV5
We’ve been tracking Kia’s new electric SUV for several months now after Kia released the EV5 in concept form in March.
Leaked images from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) showed the new SUV in production form earlier this month that looked eerily similar to the concept (and the EV9).
At the Chengdu Motor Show in China, the Kia EV5 made its global debut, showing a compact EV built for the electric era. Kia says the EV5 “brings a new era of electric mobility to the compact SUV sector to meet the needs of millennial families.”
Taking inspiration from the brand’s new “Opposites United” design philosophy, the same shown in the flagship EV9, the electric SUV arrives with a bold, rugged look.
Up front, you will notice Kia’s new “Tiger Face,” replacing its signature “Tiger Nose” grille shown in older models.
The new design can be seen in every angle with robust fenders and broad shoulder lines. Meanwhile, the pushed-back D-pillars (the rear) give the EV5 more interior space, highlighting the SUV’s versatility.
Toward the back, an extended and lowered spoiler preserves the SUV’s distinctive profile while enhancing aerodynamic efficiency.
The EV5 will come in nine glossy color options and an ivory-silver matte option. The glossy colors include snow white pearl, clear white, starry night black, magma red, ivory silver, frost blue, iceberg green, tide blue, and shale grey.
An interior designed to live in
Through its research, Kia discovered millennial householders consider the interior of their electric SUV as an additional “room” to live in rather than just a means of getting from point A to point B.
As such, Kia interior designers reimagined the EV5’s interior, taking inspiration from the larger EV9 with an interior space that’s closer to a “home lounge than a traditional car cabin.”
The EV5 includes variable mood lighting that you can adjust on a brightness scale of 0 to 10 with ten different curated shades. When active, the lightning adjusts to the vehicle’s drive modes, dims in low light, and alerts the driver when going over the speed limit.
Boasting a new dashboard design, the EV5 features a modern infotainment setup with dual displays, similar to the EV9.
The rear bench can fold completely flat, enabling a spacious cargo area with additional under-floor storage options.
Highlights and features
Although Kia didn’t reveal powertrain details, it’s expected to ride on Hyundai’s E-GMP platform, the same used for the EV6 and IONIQ 5.
The leaked MIIT data shows that the Chinese model will be powered by a 214 hp (160 kW) single electric motor with 310 Nm torque. It’s also expected to use BYD’s Blade LFP batteries, although Kia has yet to confirm this.
The base version is expected to have more battery capacity than the EV6 (77.4 kWh), reaching upwards of 82 kWh. Meanwhile, a longer-range variant is expected to come with over 600 km (373 miles) range.
At 4,615 mm long, 1,875 mm wide, and 1,715 mm tall, the EV5 will compete directly against Tesla’s Model Y (4,750 mm L, 1,921 mm W, 1,624 mm H).
The new electric SUV will sit between the Niro EV and EV6 in the brand’s lineup. According to reports, it’s expected to start at around 57 million won (around $42,600). If this is the case, it will be cheaper than the Model Y, which starts at just under $49,000 in China.
Kia will launch the EV5 in China later this year, while further details are expected to be unveiled at Kia EV day, slated for October. Check back for more as we get closer to Kia’s EV event.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Environment
U.S. could reach deal with Canada that avoids oil and gas tariffs, energy secretary says
HOUSTON — The U.S. could reach an agreement with Canada that avoids tariffs on imports of oil, gas and other energy resources, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Monday.
Wright said such a scenario is “certainly is possible” but “it’s too early to say” in response to a question from CNBC during a press conference at the CERAWeek by S&P Global. The U.S. is in “active dialogue” with Canada and Mexico, the energy secretary said.
President Donald Trump has paused until April 2 tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports that are compliant with the agreement which governs trade in North America. Trump originally imposed broad 25% tariffs on goods from both countries as well as lesser 10% tariffs on energy imports from Canada.
It’s unclear, however, how much of the oil, gas and other energy that the U.S. imports from Canada is compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Wright declined to provide specifics when CNBC asked how much of those imports are USMCA compliant.
“I’m going to avoid the details for now,” Wright said. The energy secretary said, “We can get to no tariffs or very low tariffs but it’s got to be reciprocal” in an interview with CNBC’s Brian Sullivan.
Canada’s energy minister, Jonathan Wilkinson, warned last week that energy prices will rise in the U.S. if the tariffs on energy imports go into full effect.
“We will see higher gasoline prices as a function of energy, higher electricity prices from hydroelectricity from Canada, higher home heating prices associated with natural gas that comes from Canada and higher automobile prices,” Wilkinson told CNBC’s Megan Cassella in an interview.
The U.S. has been the largest producer of crude oil and natural gas in the world for years. But many refiners in the U.S. are dependent on heavy crude imported from Canada. The U.S. imported 6.6 million barrels of crude oil per day on average in December, more than 60% of which came from Canada, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Wright acknowledged that the tariffs are creating uncertainty in energy markets as negotiations continue.
“We’re in the middle of negotiations for where things are going to go with tariffs, so that feels frightening and gripping right now but this time will pass,” Wright said. “Deals will be made, we’ll get certainty and we’ll have a positive economic environment for Americans going forward.”
U.S. crude oil fell more than 1% Monday to close at $66.03 per barrel, while global benchmark Brent closed at $69.28 per barrel. Crude oil futures have pulled back substantially as Trump’s trade policy creates uncertainty and OPEC+ has confirmed that it plans to gradually bring back 2.2 million barrels per day of production beginning next month.
Apple is rolling out a notable update to Apple Maps EV Routing for Ford drivers. Starting today, Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning drivers can use Apple Maps EV Routing via CarPlay to plan road trips that include Tesla Superchargers – or any station that uses the North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector.
As I’ve explained before, Ford began shipping adapters CCS to NACS adapters that allow Mach-E and Lightning drivers to charge at Tesla Superchargers last year. Until today, however, Apple Maps was unaware of this change. This meant Apple Maps EV Routing would only route Mach-E and Lightning drivers to CCS charging stations, even though a route with Tesla Superchargers might’ve been more efficient.
With today’s change, Apple Maps via CarPlay will now include NACS fast charging stations, such as compatible Tesla Superchargers, in recommended route planning recommendations.
In a blog post, Ford explains:
Apple Maps EV Routing in CarPlay allows drivers to input their route and can view the estimated battery level they will have when they get to a destination, as well as suggested charging stations along the way if charging is needed. Previously, Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning drivers would have to manually open another app, then enter a NACS fast charger as a destination to have it added to their route. Now, with the Apple Maps EV Routing and NACS fast charger integration, the experience will be more seamless.
How to Use Apple Maps EV Routing in CarPlay:
- Connect your Apple iPhone to CarPlay.
- Open Apple Maps, go to Settings, and confirm your preferred charging network(s) – make sure you select a NACS fast charging station, such as Tesla Supercharger. You only have to do this once.
- Enter a destination.
- Apple Maps will then calculate the estimated state of charge you will have when you get to a destination.
- If a charge is required, depending on the fastest route, it will automatically route you to a NACS fast charging station.*
This is a significant update to the Apple Maps EV Routing experience for Ford drivers. Next up on my wishlist is support for battery preconditioning when using Apple Maps EV Routing. Android Auto added this feature last October.
The new feature is available now to iPhone users running iOS 17 or later. No software update is required for your car.
Follow Chance: Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, and Mastodon.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
James Murdoch, a Tesla board member and friend of CEO Elon Musk, has confirmed that he sold about $13 million in stock today as the stock (TSLA) crashed.
There has been a lot of insider trading at Tesla lately, and by trading, we mean selling – cause no insider is ever buying at Tesla.
We recently reported on Kimball Musk, Elon’s brother, and Tesla’s Chief Financial Officer Taneja Vaibhav recently selling ahead of a recent drop in the company’s stock price.
Tesla’s chairwoman, Robyn Denholm, also sold $33 million worth of Tesla shares last week and over $100 million in the last 3 months.
Now, it’s James Murdoch’s turn. The Tesla board member just confirmed, through a required SEC filing, that he sold 54,776 Tesla shares for just over $13 million today:
He sold as Tesla’s stock crashed 15% today. It is now down more than 50% from its all-time high just a few months ago.
Murdoch was appointed to Tesla’s board in 2017.
He is better known as the son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and the former CEO of 21st Century Fox from 2015 to 2019.
Murdoch was one of the Tesla board directors who was forced to return almost $1 billion in cash and stock options to Tesla as part of a settlement for over-compensation.
Electrek’s Take
Tesla insiders are unloading, and those are just the ones we know about. Public companies only have to report insider trading for board directors and listed top executives.
For the latter, Tesla purposefully only lists 3 people: Elon, Vaibhav Taneja, Tesla’s CFO, and Tom Zhu, whose role at Tesla has bit quite fluid in recent years.
Therefore, we don’t know about the dozens of other top executives potentially selling their shares right now amid a giant correction.
It’s really suspicious because there are clear top leaders at Tesla who are often on Tesla’s earnings calls, and they are not even listed, like Lars Moravy, for example.
But it’s par for the course at Tesla, which has some of the worst corporate governance I have ever seen. It’s truly shameful.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports11 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway