Besides both the EV9 and EV3, the 2024 Kia EV Day Asia Pacific (APAC) also features a slew of concepts from the Korean brand, namely both the EV4 Concept and PV5 Concept.
Starting with the EV4 Concept, this fastback saloon concept was unveiled globally back in 2023 along with the EV3 Concept. And just like both the EV3 and EV9, the EV4 Concept gets the same ‘Opposites United’ design language perpetrated by the latter, albeit in a sportier fastback saloon bodystyle.
Touted as the all-electric successor to the now-discontinued Kia Stinger, the EV4 Concept is easily distinguishable from its sporty roofline and snout front-end, with the latter featuring almost-similar L-shaped LED headlights and taillights designs as both the EV3 and EV9. Besides the similar lighting units, some pre-production design touches are also present here, such as the digital side-view cameras and hidden door handles.
Dimension-wise, the EV4 Concept is 4,730 MM long, 1,860 MM wide, 1,480 MM tall, and has a wheelbase of 2,820 MM, thus putting it in the same category as the Tesla Model 3, BYD Seal, and even its Korean cousin, the Hyundai Ioniq 6.
On board, the EV4 Concept gets a pretty minimalist cabin design, which is given considering its pre-production state. Primed here is a dual-screen setup that crowns above its front dash, zero-waste upholstery made from recycled materials, and a five-seater layout.
Underpinning the same E-GMP architecture as both the EV3 and EV9, the production version of the EV4 Concept will be offered in two specs, namely the baseline Short Range variant and the top-spec Long Range model. The former uses a 58.3-kWh battery pack that grants it up to 430 KM of EV range, while the latter is juiced by a larger 81.4-kWh unit that allows a much longer maximum EV range of 630 KM. Regardless of battery specs, both variants will be powered by the same single-motor setup rated at 201 HP (150 kW) and 283 NM, thus granting this fastback saloon a 0-100 KM/H time of 7.4 seconds for the Short Range and 7.7 seconds for the Long Range.
Moving on to the PV5, this midsize electric van is part of Kia’s new PV commercial EV fleet that was shown during the CES 2024 exhibition earlier this year. While the exact model shown here appears to boast a conventional minivan bodystyle, the PV5 comes with a unique modular platform featuring electromagnetic couplings that allows it to be fitted with a range of different bodystyles.
With only the front driver’s cab being the sole fixed part of this EV, the PV5 comes in three distinct styles – Basic Van, High Roof, and Chassis Cab. For the Basic Van mode, the PV5 gets two rows of backseat, where each individual seat can be rotated to your desired preference. This setup grants users the ability to transform the PV5’s cabin from a conventional three-row MPV into a mobile dining room a la campervan.
Unlike its current EV lineup, the PV5 underpins an entirely new EV platform known as the ‘Platform Beyond Vehicle’ (PBV), which it shares with other PV models such as the PV1 ‘kei’ van and the larger PV7 van. Together with the PV5, the PV electric van lineup will be targeted for more commercial-based uses, so much so that Kia even develops a dedicated fleet management system for businesses to manage their PV vans.
While both models are still in their concept stages, we can expect them to make their production debut sooner or later, with the pre-production version of the EV4 recently spotted doing rigorous testing, albeit featuring a hatchback design instead of the concept’s fastback saloon look. As for the PV5, Kia is now in the midst of opening a dedicated production facility for the whole PV lineup, which will start operating as early as 2025.