Kia Pushes Further Into Adventure EV Territory
Hyundai‘s been betting on off-road-oriented vehicles lately, with the new Crater Concept making a small splash at the LA Auto Show. Its sister company, Kia, looks just as committed to that direction. The brand already experimented with rugged “Weekender” versions of the Tasman and PV5, and the newest addition just debuted in Guangzhou: the Kia EV5 Weekender Concept.
Like the Tasman Weekender before it, this version of the EV5 gets the kind of upgrades that make the compact electric crossover feel more comfortable on trails than on mall parking lots. Kia evidently wants to widen its EV portfolio beyond urban-friendly family models and tap into the still-growing market of buyers looking for electric adventure vehicles.
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Underneath Behind the Rugged Look
Kia’s China Style Design Team developed the EV5 Weekender Concept, and it shows. The concept rides higher than the production EV5, gets chunkier all-terrain tires, widened fenders, and more aggressive body cladding. The matte beige paint with lime accents ties it back to other Weekender-branded concepts.
There’s a new roof rack that looks built for actual load, plus side-mounted brackets reminiscent of the Land Rover Defender’s gear pods. Reinforced skid plates, updated bumpers, and added protective elements complete the exterior.
Inside, Kia puts in more work than most concept spin-offs usually get. The panoramic display now runs across the passenger side, the steering wheel is new, and the center console and vents are redesigned. Materials were reworked to include a 3D texture and modular storage solutions, like brackets and ceiling rails. Kia hasn’t shared technical specs, but the base EV5 already offers FWD and AWD on the E-GMP platform, with a GT variant on the way.
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A Cool Concept for a Model the US Won’t Even Get
Unfortunately, the EV5 isn’t coming to the US. Kia clarified that the model will be sold in Canada but not here, despite early hints that North America would include both markets. That alone puts some distance between American buyers and the EV5 Weekender Concept – and the concept itself isn’t confirmed for production yet.
Still, the EV5 Weekender’s near-production feel makes it easy to imagine it eventually reaching showrooms in other regions. For now, though, the US won’t even get the regular EV5, making this rugged concept feel even farther away.
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