Kia has been doing things a bit differently lately, and its recent range of ‘WKNDR’ concepts have tried to capture its adventurous aspirations.
The latest iteration is this, the Kia EV5 WKNDR (or Weekender) concept, unveiled at the Guangzhou Auto Show in China as the brand’s latest model to get tougher off-road looks and equipment.
Like the Kia Tasman WKNDR which came before it, the EV5 gets a number of bold cosmetic changes, including more prominent front and rear bumpers, chunky wheel-arches and lower side protection.
A handful of bright yellow highlights can be found on the exterior, such as on its front and rear recovery points and roof racks, though the basic design of the EV5 remains largely unchanged.
Of course, to make it more capable off-road the suspension appears to have been lifted, not only to provide greater ground clearance but to accommodate the large wheels, shod in knobbly tyres.
Kia has also enhanced the interior, carrying across the yellow highlights seen on the outside to make the steering wheel, centre console and door cards stand out.
Interestingly, the interior looks almost bespoke compared to the production EV5, with a completely different digital instrument cluster and infotainment screen layout.
At the back, the rear seats can be folded flat to provide significant storage space, while Kia has also made a number of bespoke accessories to fit into its sliding mounting system.
While Kia hasn’t officially announced plans to put the EV5 WKNDR into production, a growing number of Chinese brands are making off-road focused electric SUVs, which this would undoubtedly compete directly against.
It could also potentially prove popular in Australia, where the EV5 is currently the fourth best-selling EV, behind only the Tesla Model Y, BYD Sealion 7 and Tesla Model 3.
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