Kia Shows Its Adventurous Side At SEMA
Every year, vehicle manufacturers come to Las Vegas for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show. SEMA isn’t just about drumming up sales; it’s a symposium of innovation where manufacturers reveal their ability to push boundaries. Here, feedback isn’t just given; it’s harvested. Enthusiasts, their eyes alight with dreams of deserts and mountain passes, twisty mountain roads, and other adventures, provide immediate reactions, their insights shaping future models. This interaction is crucial, a dance of give and take between creator and consumer.
Every year (at least in recent years), overlanding rigs have been a key feature of these shows. These aren’t just vehicles; they’re invitations to adventure, to the untamed wilds where roads end and freedom begins. Overlanding has surged in popularity, a trend that echoes the human desire for exploration, for touching the raw edges of the world. Companies, sensing this undercurrent of wanderlust, have turned SEMA into their stage, showcasing not just cars, but lifestyles (real or just for show at the mall parking lot).
But there’s more to it than just showcasing products. By introducing overlanding vehicles, companies are aligning themselves with a movement, a cultural shift towards self-reliance and environmental stewardship. They’re not just selling cars; they’re selling experiences, a slice of life where the journey itself is the destination.
Sadly (at least for the purposes of CleanTechnica), fossil fuels have dominated the show. After all, electric power has been something you find in civilization—something overlanders and other outdoor adventurers yearn to escape. The much higher energy density of gas, diesel, and propane make it easy to carry lots of energy with you far from the lights of the city.
Things are changing, though. Not only do EVs how have hundreds of miles of range, but charging stations are starting to pop up in small towns all over the United States. This means that there are now very few places that an EV can’t reach. For those few places, there’s usually a little hotel or an RV park where you can get a charge and get through anyway. We’re seeing people in more and more rural places running Rivians, F-150 Lightnings, and Cybertrucks, and the proof is very much in the pudding.
In exchange for the mild inconvenience of EV charging, people running an electric truck or SUV get a lot of big advantages. For one, having a big battery gives you electricity. Whether the vehicle has an outlet or you have to get the power out through the 12-volt battery system, you end up being able to run everything from power tools to air conditioning to cooktops without needing to worry about running a generator. Add in some solar power, and you can often run these things without robbing your vehicle of too many miles of range.
Kia Jumps Into The Adventure Vehicle Market
On the surface, the Kia EV9 doesn’t look like much of an adventure vehicle. It’s got a smooth front grille that looks a bit like a baby face compared to the average truck. Street-oriented tires, clearance that isn’t impressive, and other factors make it look like something you’d only tackle the mall parking lot with. But, those of us who have actually taken one out away from pavement know that the vehicle is a lot more than it appears to be on the surface.
I’ve personally taken one all over southern New Mexico, taking on washes, sandstone canyons, and some fairly rough Forest Service roads that ran from Cloudcroft along the Guadalupe Rim to Carlsbad. With some better tires and a small lift, I could see that the vehicle’s range and torque, plus a fairly rigid chassis, could be a worthy vehicle for outdoor adventures.
Apparently Kia saw the same potential in the EV9, and did all of this for a show vehicle at SEMA.
The EV9 ADVNTR changed the front and rear fascias to give the vehicle a more gritty and rock-resistant appearance. Reinforced rocker panels means less worry getting out there. A 3” lift means a LOT less worry about scraping the bottom of the vehicle up (something I had to work pretty hard in some spots to avoid when I had a Kia press car). Upgraded tires and wheels mean better grip and less chance of getting stuck.
All of this unlocks the EV9’s potential.
In addition to the upgraded EV9, Kia brought something even more wild along: a custom prototype van that’s geared up even better for adventures. The PV5 WKNDR is based on Kia’s flexible work vans. By upfitting them to serve as adventure vehicles, Kia shows us not only the potential for van life and overlanding, but shows off the flexibility of the platform for everything else. In other words, this proves that the PV5 will truly be the Swiss Army Knife of vehicles.
Future PV5 buyers could rig up such a vehicle for work during the week and then swap things out to turn it into a camper for weekend excursions into the wilderness on an upgraded suspension, wheels, and tires just like the EV9 ADVNTR.
In addition to these two vehicles, Kia showed off several ICE vehicles, but you didn’t come here to learn about those, did you?
The New “Race On Sunday, Sell On Monday”?
Most people don’t want an overlanding rig. Yes, I know, that’s lame. But, if you look at the wider market, many people want to drive a vehicle with a rugged appearance, even if it’s only used for commuting to the office and maybe the occasional Home Depot run. Knowing that a vehicle could be rugged if you bought some upgrades moves a vehicle out of the “transportation appliance” realm and into the realm of the cool.
Auto manufacturers have been taking advantage of this phenomenon for as long as there have been cars. Making a utilitarian vehicle look cooler than it really is by racing a vehicle that looks like it sells cars.
But, almost nobody is selling cars these days. So, in the truck market, you have to find an equivalent. There are all sorts of off-road races out there, but this is even better because it moves the potential buyer closer to the action. It puts being on the adventure yourself within reach, making it amazing, but still accessible.
This will probably prove to be a genius marketing strategy for Kia!
Featured image (plus all others except the blue EV9) by Kia.
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