Kia wants to take you to the great outdoors in style and function. The Kia PV5 WKNDR is a new concept that offers overlanders an all-electric, modular van that they can take up the mountains and off the grid for more than a couple of days.
Showcased at the 2024 Specialty Equipment Market Association Show (SEMA) in Las Vegas, the PV5 shared the stage with four other Kia cars, modified to take drivers off the beaten path.
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The concept starts with the PV5, the middle child of the Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) lineup. The PBV models are designed for businesses and individuals who need above-average cargo space in their vehicles. The PV5 is sandwiched between the PV1 and the PV7 in terms of size, but all these EV concepts were made to either hold a lot of people or a lot of things.
The PV5 WKNDR embraces its adaptive nature with a modular interior that should be like an exciting blank canvas to any adventurer. Concept photos show it outfitted with tables, toolboxes, and a mounted tent, providing campers whatever they need in the wilderness.
And this electric van is meant to stay in the wild. Kia prides the concept on being ‘self-sufficient,’ with its solar panels and hydro-turbine wheels that can recharge the multiple batteries in the van. These not only power the car when driving, but also the pantry during meal times, and the on-board compressor when it’s time to inflate the Kia-designed mattresses. The compressor is also powerful enough to adjust the pressure on the off-road tires wrapped around the generator-wheels.
The bug-like profile of the EV just deepens its roots to the outdoors. Its moss-green color easily blends in within a forest, and the angled headlights resemble antennae on an insect. With all its bells and whistles, the PV5 looks like it’s about to buzz off the ground.
Alongside the PV5 WKNDR is a similar concept: the Kia EV9 ADVNTR. Based on the Ev9, which recently made its Philippine debut, the ADVNTR is reinforced with stronger suspension, off-road tires, rocker panels, and a mounted tent for the next overland trip.
Other Kias like Sportage, the Telluride, and the Sorento also received a rugged redesign for SEMA 2024, themed after a specific outdoor activity and a Greek god. The Sportage-Thetis (goddess of water) features a kayak mount, the Telluride-Zeus (god of thunder) packs a thunderous Borla exhaust system, and the Sorento-Gaia (goddess of the earth) has a Yakima awning attached to its side.
How would you customize a Kia for the great outdoors?
