Even by the standards of a car firm that has radically transformed its line-up in recent years, the new Kia PV5 is a hugely significant machine. Which is saying something for what is essentially a van.
Actually, Kia would rather you call it a Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV), a descriptor that will be applied to the Korean firm’s new line of electric light commercial vehicles (LCVs). The PV5 is the first, and it will be joined by the larger PV7 and PV9 in 2027 and 2029 respectively – and there are more to come.
Kia is plotting what it terms a “brazen journey” to become a leader in the e-LCV segment: it’s targeting 250,000 PBV sales globally by 2030. Given Kia’s growth in recent years, don’t bet against that happening.
The PV5 will launch with two variants: a Cargo van and a Passenger MPV. A Chassis version, on which different types of rear compartment can be fixed, will follow, along with further options for each of the variants. There will eventually be a High Roof version and variants of differing lengths too.
We had the chance to sample Cargo and Passenger variants on the launch event in Seoul, but this review will focus primarily on the latter.
