What could Kia Philippines have in store for PIMS 2022?

The Philippine International Auto Show (PIMS) 2022 will be a venue for carmakers to showcase and “provide safer, more efficient and sustainable mobility to the people.”

Among the carmakers that will promise to do just that is Kia. If we look at the products that the Korean auto brand is offering around the world, we can see that a good number of them could fit the safe and green mobility theme.

But which form of Kia mobility in particular are we likely to see at PIMS 2022? Kia Philippines must be keeping its plans a secret from its competitors, so the company is understandably tight-lipped about what vehicles it will showcase at PIMS 2022.

Of course, that just prompts us to speculate what Kia Philippines will bring in. In fact, we’re so antsy to what vehicles we’ll see, we’ve taken a look at Kia’s offerings overseas.

So, we’ve listed below the Kia vehicles that could be launched at PIMS 2022, their highlight features, and reasons why they’re coming to the Philippine market. To gauge how likely these models are arriving, we’ve scored them from 0 to 10, with the higher numbers suggesting that the model is more likely to see the stage lights of the motor show.

Kia K5

“But why try to reimagine the sedan, especially during a time when the market continues to shift towards crossovers and SUVs?” Kia pondered in its press release for its midsize sedan, the K5. But that question was followed by a bold claim for the Kia K5 — that it’s a “complete rethink of the traditional sedan.”

Unveiled for the US market in 2020, the Kia K5 made a statement with its angular looks. With the wide and thin front grille extending into the headlamp and hood structure, Kia's redesigned "tiger face" is the focal point. The K5 gives off the sense that it was designed to run when viewed from the side, and this impression is furthered by the chrome garnish that spans the roofline and wraps around the rear glass. LED lights front and back finish the look.

Aside from modern in-car and driver assistance tech, it’s through the running gear that the Kia K5 is making itself distinct. The sedan can be powered by 1.6 and 2.5 liter turbo engines, with the latter even producing 290hp. In an obvious bid to steal buyers’ attention away from SUVs, Kia has fitted all-wheel drive to the K5 to give it go-anywhere promise.

Likelihood of PIMS 2022 unveil: 1. As handsome and sporty the Kia K5 seems to be, it’ll probably stay stateside. The K5 must be fighting for attention in the US, whose consumers are favoring SUVs like us Filipinos do. The Kia K5 is also manufactured in the States, so it’ll cost the local distributor if it were to ship the sedan from halfway across the world to this archipelago.

Kia EV6

Since PIMS 2022 will be graced by “efficient and sustainable mobility,” the Kia EV6 is a likely candidate to be an event showcase. The fully-electric EV6 shares underpinnings with the Ioniq 5 made by Kia’s sister company Hyundai. The local arm of Hyundai said it could bring the Ioniq 5 to PIMS 2022, so is there a chance the EV6 would follow suit?

The Kia EV6 is built on the company's building blocks for EVs called the E-GMP platform. The architecture's large wheelbase and wide stance offer a flexible basis. Available in all- or rear-wheel drive configurations in the US and European markets, the EV6 promises 537 kilometers of range on a full charge. It also features vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality that makes EV6 a power source on wheels to support everything, from electrical appliances, devices, tools, to recreational equipment.

Since its launch, the Kia EV6 has clinched numerous awards in design and even highly-coveted Car of the Year titles. People have praised the EV6 so much to the point that it’s been chosen to embark on the 5,800-kilometer, record-setting journey.

Likelihood of PIMS 2022 unveil: 5. Perhaps Kia won’t steal Hyundai’s thunder with its Ioniq 5, but the EV6 has become somewhat of a landmark model for the brand now. Add to that, like Hyundai, Kia is undergoing some brand transformation here, and what better way to do that with a modern EV. Kia Philippines would also include the EV6 in its plan to electrify the masses.

Kia Carens

What a way to really serve “mobility to the people” with an MPV. With the 2022 Kia Carens, Kia Philippines has a chance to cash in on a segment that sees strong sales. Rather, the local distributor would be reviving the Carens nameplate here after the company sold the previous generation of the model years ago. The 2022 Kia Carens could give the popular MPVs in the market a fight.

The 2022 Kia Carens, or "Recreational Vehicle," borrows tough aesthetic cues — like hefty plastic body cladding — borrowed from crossovers in an effort to entice buyers who like the added functionality of a minivan that isn't available in an SUV. In relation to that, it basically uses the same platform as the Seltos.

With either six or seven seats available, the car's nearly flat roofline maximizes headroom inside the cabin. The middle row of the six-seater will have captain's chairs. The 2022 Kia Carens carries in-car creature comforts such as 64-color LED ambient lighting, air purifier, ventilated front seats, an eight-speaker Bose sound system, and sunroof.

Likelihood of PIMS 2022 unveil: 8. We’re making a bold prediction here. The 2022 Kia Carens was launched in India late 2021 — featuring the equipment mentioned above — and recently, it landed in Malaysia, as reported by the ZigWheels team over there. The MPV is just a mere 2,000 kilometers away from our market.

Kia Mohave

Here’s another Kia model that could be making a local comeback. Technically speaking, the Mohave is among the earliest Kia models still on the market. Its beginnings can be traced to 2008, when it was introduced in South Korea alongside an identical Borrego version for North America. A decade ago, the Mohave was briefly available here, but the midsize SUV persisted in other nations, including its home market of South Korea.

For 2022, the Kia Mohave was kept modern with a new look consisting of quad-LED headlights, satin silver skid plates, and rear LED light bar. Inside, the 2022 Kia Mohave’s seven-seater cabin receives niceties such as 12.3-inch screens for the gauges and the infotainment, ventilated seats, and LED ambient lighting, among others.

The technically-14-year-old car receives new running gear, too. Under the hood of the 2022 Kia Mohave is a three-liter turbodiesel engine that produces 253hp, and is mated to an eight-speed automatic with power sent to all four wheels. Kia has fitted the engine with an "emission reduction device" to comply with the emissions requirements in South Korea.

The Kia Mohave’s body-on-frame chassis receives new chassis mounts and improved shock absorbers, so as to improve the Mohave’s ride quality over rough roads.

Likelihood of PIMS 2022: 8. Given that MPVs and SUVs rule the sales charts, it won’t be surprising that Kia will enter these competitive segments with the Carens and Mohave.  The latter could serve a different market from the Sorento. If these first impressions are anything to go by, the well-known midsize SUVs should keep an eye out for the 2022 Kia Mohave.

Photos from Kia