Britain’s best-selling car brand unveils EV camper van perfect for living off-grid with lounge seats & rooftop tent
BRITAIN’S best-selling motor brand has unveiled a perfect EV camper van for living off-grid.
Car enthusiasts with a love of the outdoors have fallen head over heels for one of Kia’s latest models.
While the Kia PV5 WKNDR is a concept vehicle, experts are hopeful the breathtaking design will transform into reality.
The PV5 WKNDR impressed during its first appearance at the SEMA tradeshow, as reported by Inside EVs.
It has been created with the ever growingly popular van life movement which sees people take a big leap into existing off-grid.
The concept is part of Kia’s new Platform Beyond Vehicle program, which features a selection of different EV ideas.
They include self-driving cars and even crab-walking wheels, but these are still just concepts.
But, the PV5 WKNDR is less whacky and more traditional, which has led some motor gurus to believe it could become a real consumer van.
Kia describes it as “an escape pod for extended weekends in nature” and “a Swiss Army Knife on wheels.”
It boasts huge off-road tires, suitable for a variety of terrain.
The camper van also offers lounge seats, camping chairs, tables, and an extending rooftop tent.
There are solar panels on top for off-grid charging, which are also supported by “hydro turbine wheels” that generate electricity while spinning.
It comes as Kia’s Sportage has been ranked the UK’s best-selling car of 2024.
Ford topped the charts last year but official figures to be released next week will show Kia’s Sportage has overtaken Puma in the race to become Britain’s best-selling motor of 2024.
Kia is now our fourth favourite car brand — behind Volkswagen, BMW and Audi — with a record 106,000 sales in 11 months.
Ford has slumped from second to fifth with sales down 24 per cent at 100,000.
Nobody would have seen that coming eight years ago when Fiesta sold 125,000 copies in a year on its own.
Why is Sportage such a smash hit?
Because it looks great, drives sweetly, and has the right mix of hybrid engines, useful tech and practicality, starting from £29k.
It’s the do-it-all family SUV.
Next summer, Sportage will be remixed with a striking new LED light signature and a refreshed cabin, as previewed at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
We like it. Plus, it’s the only car we can think of with Apple CarPlay projected on the windscreen via Head-up Display.
Kia boss Paul Philpott is bouncing at the prospect of Sportage ending the year as No1 — but he’s not obsessed by it.
He’s got one eye on making sure Kia hits the Government’s Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate which requires 22 per cent of sales to be pure electric.
Philpott said: “Sportage is the backbone of our brand. It just evolves and goes from strength to strength.
“We’ve never set out with goals to become No1 brand or No1 car line but the success of Sportage is a clear endorsement of how much progress Kia has made and how Sportage appeals to lots of different customers.
“As we move on this transition to electric vehicles and follow our ZEV mandate targets each year, we are not going to abandon hybrids and plug-in hybrids.
“We’re going to keep selling them for as long as we can alongside EVs — and we need to invest in Sportage with bold design to stand out in a pretty competitive market.
“I think that’s become synonymous with Kia. To have cars that really stand out on the road.”