Kia appears to have embraced the ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ’em’ ethos with its new battery-electric EV5 medium SUV, which launches next month, as the Korean carmaker’s first Chinese-sourced EV.

Described by Kia as a fully electric medium SUV “designed to designed to meet the needs of families, individuals and fleet customers”, the EV5 will directly target the market-leading Tesla Model Y when it launches in late June.

It’s the first right-hand drive product supplied by the Kia factory in China (Yancheng city, Jiangsu province), which the company says eliminates competition with Europe for supply.

Pricing for the new medium SUV has not yet been announced but some media outlets have speculated that it will be positioned to closely rival and perhaps even undercut the Tesla Model Y, the base model of which starts at $55,900 (MRLP).

The EV5 is built on a dedicated EV platform called N3 eK which is different to the E-GMP platform used on Kia’s existing EV6 and EV9 models.

The EV5 also utilises a high-efficiency lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, instead of the lithium-ion batteries used in the brand’s other EVs.

LFP batteries are designed to provide a higher power density than lithium-ion batteries, which makes them better suited for high-drain applications such as electric vehicles.

Both 64kWh standard and 88kWh long-range batteries with front-wheel drive (single motor) and all-wheel drive (dual motor) drivetrains will be offered in the EV5 range, with specifics of which batteries and drivetrains will be offered which variant to be announced closer to launch.

Kia has confirmed, however, that the EV5 will be available in Air and Earth trims from launch, with the top-spec GT-Line arriving in the fourth quarter.

“Kia Australia is confident the EV5 will suit the needs of many new car buyers who now, more than ever, are considering the move into a full battery electric vehicle,” said Kia Australia’s Chief Executive Office Damien Meredith.

“Sourcing Australia’s stock from the China factory allows us to launch earlier and secure supply of up to 850 per month which is needed to target mainstream appeal.”

This statement indicates that Kia appears to have ambitious volume targets for its latest EV model with the current model EV6 and EV9 selling only about 180 units per month, versus the Tesla Model Y’s average of about 2,000 per month.

The carmaker says all EV5 variants have benefitted from the company’s now well-established local ride and handling tuning, designed to ensure its imported vehicles are optimised for Australian roads and conditions.

In addition to tuning of steering and suspension, the program also includes calibration of the EV5’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), to ensure it is fit for Australian roads and traffic conditions.

Kia says the EV5 will come with a full suite of advanced active and passive safety features targeting a five-star ANCAP safety rating, along with a raft of comfort and convenience features. Full details have not yet been released but included in the EV5’s features list will be Kia’s Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) and over the air update capability.

Let us do the work finding your next new car