Made in Singapore: First locally-made Kia, the EV5, officially launched, Lifestyle News
Kia has launched its first locally-made model, the EV5 electric SUV, which will be assembled at the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre Singapore (HMGICS) in Jurong.
The announcement to build the Kia EV5 locally was first announced at the Singapore Motor Show in January, and the car has now been officially unveiled during an event held at HMGICS on May 28.
While the EV5 is the first Kia-branded car to be made here, HMGICS has been assembling two Hyundai models, the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, since 2023.
The Kia EV5 is an SUV that's slightly smaller than the Ioniq 5, and Kia's local distributor Cycle & Carriage, which will be responsible for retailing the car here, announced that it will be offering the EV5 in three variants - Air, Earth and GT-Line.
Being made in Singapore means that Kia can tailor the EV5 to fit local requirements, and two of the variants, Air and Earth, come with 134hp motors that enable them to qualify for a Category A COE. AsiaOne understands that these variants will be exclusive to Singapore and will not be exported to other markets.
While both the Air and Earth produce the same output of 134hp and 310Nm of torque, the difference between the two is the size of the battery. The Kia EV5 Air has a 64.2kWh battery, which gives it a range of 400km, and can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in 36 minutes using a 102kW DC charger.
The Kia EV5 Earth meanwhile has a larger 88.1kWh battery, which gives it a longer range of 540km, and can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in 38 minutes when using a faster 141kW DC charger.
The most powerful version of the EV5 though is the GT-Line, which features two electric motors and all-wheel-drive, for a total output of 308hp and 480Nm of torque, and therefore goes into COE Cat B.
It uses the same 88.1KWh battery as the EV5 Earth, with charging time remaining unchanged, but range drops to 470km due to the extra load in powering the dual motor setup.
The Kia EV5 comes with a host of premium practical features that are designed to offer great convenience. Highlights include the heating and cooling drawer that's located beneath the rear centre console that can keep food and drinks warm or cold while on the move. The drawer is standard on the EV5 Earth and GT-Line models.
Other noteworthy features include a fingerprint recognition sensor that allows users to access various saved settings easily, like the seating position and infotainment preferences, as well as an updated version of Kia's remote smart parking assist system, which lets drivers park the car using the smart key while standing outside of the car.
Pricing for the Kia EV5 starts at $194,000 with COE (as of May 2025) for the Air variant, and goes up to $210,600 with COE for the Earth model. The Kia EV5 GT-Line meanwhile retails for $260,000 inclusive of COE.
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ben.chia@asiaone.com
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