Kia made a splash when the Korean car giant confirmed that it was supercharging its efforts to move into the mobility market with a lineup of EVs that would ultimately create a new family of mobility solutions for buyers. We got a glimpse of this last year at CES but the company chose to keep details about the PV5 concept to itself with pictures and a few details providing the backdrop.
Kia is now ready to share more information about the production version of the PV5 as the Korean car giant completes a key step that was required to help bring the vehicle into full-scale production.
Minimal changes here on the PV5 and that’s a good thing
When compared side by side, the changes between the PV5 Concept and the production version are very minimal. The shape is still there and the front end gets to keep its stylish daytime running lights with the headlights themselves being mounted lower in the bumper. This part of the van is also where you see the most changes with this area getting a large charge port door in the center (pitching a novel exterior message screen) and a large radar sensor mounted underneath the front license plate. The space below the Kia emblem is home to a front-mounted camera system and the sides get a healthy amount of body cladding. The cladding is not there for trail merit but is instead protection from dents in tight urban parking lots.
Kia once teased a pickup version of the PV5 but in this release, we got to see the van in its passenger and commercial applications with the rear doors being the most prominent ways to tell them apart with the passenger version getting a single lift-up door. In contrast, the commercial version gets a pair of side opening tailgate doors to improve loading and unloading of cargo. Also like other production vehicles that got their start as showy concepts, the fancy video mirrors have been replaced with chunky traditional mirror housings.
When will we see the PV5 in the U.S.?
Kia’s release didn’t reveal a rough timetable for the model’s rollout and just for fun, we didn’t get images of the interior either. Like the exterior, look for the cabin to get minor changes including separate screens for the instrument cluster and the dashboard which can be barely seen when you peek into its tinted windows.
Thankfully, Kia will not make us wait too long for more information with the model being formally unveiled at Kia’s 2025 EV Day event on February, 24 in Spain. The full details of the PV5 (and possibly some of the other EVs KIa will be unveiling there) will be released shortly after and we look forward to getting a good look at the interior as well as finding out the answers to more concrete questions we have like how much range the van will have and what clever features are lurking underneath its sheet metal.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.