Kia said Monday it will actively roll out tailored electric vehicle solutions from the second half of this year, offering segmented products and services matched to each customer's lifestyle and business needs to raise the quality of the EV ownership experience. The automaker aims to lead genuine mass-market adoption of electrification in South Korea by innovating the customer experience across the full lifecycle — from purchase and ownership through to maintenance.
Kia will significantly expand the PV5 product lineup to reflect individual lifestyle and business needs. The new PV5 lineup adds five variants: Prime, Passenger 5-seat (1-2-2), Passenger 7-seat (2-2-3), Cargo Compact and Chassis Cab Donor Model.
Combined with the five variants included in the updated The 2027 PV5 — Passenger 5-seat (2-3-0), Cargo Long, WAV, Open Bed and Passenger Donor Model — the PV5 range now spans a total of 10 variants.
Prices for the five new PV5 lineup variants are listed before EV tax benefits. The Passenger 7-seat (2-2-3) starts at 49.02 million won ($34,000) for the Basic trim and 52.39 million won for the Plus trim (based on 5 percent individual consumption tax; Cargo variants are tax-exempt). The Prime Basic is priced at 52.02 million won and the Prime Plus at 56.7 million won. The Passenger 5-seat (1-2-2) is 48.29 million won, the Cargo Compact 41 million won and the Chassis Cab Donor Model 45 million won.
For The 2027 PV5, the Passenger (2-3-0) Basic is priced at 48.29 million won and the Plus at 51.34 million won. The Cargo Long Basic is 42.5 million won and the Long Range Basic 45.2 million won. The Open Bed range runs from 43.95 million won for the Basic Standard to 46.65 million won for the Basic Long Range, 47.45 million won for the Plus Standard and 50.15 million won for the Plus Long Range. The WAV is 54.28 million won and the Passenger Donor Model 47.8 million won.
After applying EV tax benefits and central and local government subsidies, the Cargo Compact is expected to be available from the mid-to-high 20 million won range, the Passenger 5-seat (1-2-2) from the high 30 million won range and the Passenger 7-seat (2-2-3) from the low 40 million won range, depending on region.
Kia is also opening orders for an updated EV6. The 2027 EV6 comes standard across all trims with a tailgate emergency lamp that improves rear visibility when the trunk is open to enhance safety in emergencies, and a Pedal Misapplication Safety Assist (PMSA 2.0) function to reduce the risk of accidental pedal errors.
The 2027 EV6 also adopts improved 19-inch tires, extending the all-electric range on a single charge for the Long Range 2WD variant from 494 kilometers to 502 kilometers — a gain of 8 kilometers — and for the Standard model from 382 kilometers to 395 kilometers, an improvement of 13 kilometers.
Trim-level prices for The 2027 EV6 are: Standard Light at 43.6 million won, Standard Air at 48.6 million won, Standard Earth at 52.6 million won, Long Range Light at 47.6 million won, Long Range Air at 52.6 million won, Long Range Earth at 56.6 million won, Long Range GT-Line at 57.2 million won and the GT model at 73.21 million won.
To ease the financial burden of switching to an EV, Kia will provide a 1 million won EV Change subsidy to customers who own an internal combustion engine vehicle and purchase an EV3, EV4, EV5, EV6, EV9 or PV5 Passenger (excluding the Passenger Donor Model). Customers buying an EV3 or EV4 will also receive an ultra-low financing rate of 0.8 percent over 36 months.
For PV5 passenger models (excluding the PV5 WAV and Passenger Donor Model), Kia has prepared a deferred residual-value installment program that applies a 3.6 percent interest rate over 36 months and allows customers to defer up to 60 percent of the vehicle price to the end of the term.
Kia will also expand its proactive vehicle diagnostics system to improve maintenance convenience. The system analyzes real-time diagnostic data collected while the vehicle is in operation and, when an anomaly is detected, automatically sends relevant fault information and anticipated service items to the technician at the designated service center. The technician can then plan the appropriate course of maintenance in advance, enabling faster servicing when the vehicle arrives.
Kia will also operate a "Kia EV Home Test Drive" program offering EV exhibitions and test drives inside apartment complexes. Developed in collaboration with EV charging service provider GS ChargEV, the unmanned test-drive program targets residents of Greater Seoul apartment complexes with established charging infrastructure. Customers who place an order during the event period will receive 500,000 won in GS ChargEV charging points.
Kia is also upgrading its EV residual value management system. Customers who own a Kia internal combustion engine vehicle and sell it through Kia Certified Pre-Owned before purchasing an EV can receive benefits of up to 1.2 million won — combining a 700,000 won new-car discount and an additional 500,000 won trade-in bonus.
Customers who already own an EV and trade it in when buying a new EV will receive a higher trade-in bonus of 700,000 won, which combined with the 700,000 won new-car discount brings the total benefit to up to 1.4 million won.
Kia Certified Pre-Owned will now provide additional battery details on top of the existing comprehensive EV grade information, including battery state of health (SoH), cumulative charge and discharge cycles, and battery temperature records (minimum and maximum).
Going forward, Kia plans to introduce a brokerage service that goes beyond its current certified pre-owned standards — which focus on accident-free Kia passenger vehicles registered within six years and with mileage under 120,000 kilometers — to cover vehicles that fall outside those criteria, including other-brand vehicles, vehicles with accident histories and commercial vehicles.
likehyo85@heraldcorp.com
