What’s new in the world of electric light CVs?
Perhaps inevitably, new vans and pickup trucks dominated at the CV Show at the end of April. In amongst the expected launches, we still had a few surprises, but who from?
Kia
Kia’s PV5, the first of its series of light CVs, was seen for the first time in production form at the show. Visitors might have been surprised to learn that it will be a competitor in the compact high-cube van sector, up against vans like the Ford Transit Connect and Citroën Berlingo, because the PV5 looks bigger than these rivals. First to market will be the L2H1 version, which will be joined by L1H1, L2H2 and chassis-cab variants. Prices for the L2H1 version will start from £27,645 (+VAT), and the Plug-in Van Grant will take that down by a further £5,000.
“We are coming to market this year with PV5, which is our entrant into the small van market,” Paul Philpott, president and CEO of Kia UK, told us. “Then in the first half of 2027, we will bring out PV7 which will be our entry into the medium van market. Then to keep things simple, we’ll bring out PV9 before the end of the decade, into the large van market.
“That gives us three products with standard- and long-range battery, with different conversions, so we’re trying to describe our journey into commercial vehicles, which of course will fully support the achievement of the ZEV mandate, because we will only have electric vehicles.”
“We are coming to market this year with PV5, which is our entrant into the small van market”
Commenting on the extension of the Plug-in Van Grant, Philpott said: “The Plug-in Van Grant has been confirmed for a further period until the end of March next year and we will continue to lobby for the continuation of that, because the pace of take-up of EV vans to date has not been in line with the trajectory of the government ZEV mandate. So, it will be difficult for government to argue that April 2026 was a good time to take that away.”
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Farizon
Chinese manufacturer Geely’s commercial vehicle division Farizon made its first appearance at the CV Show, taking the wraps of the L3H3 version of the Farizon SV 3,500kg GVW electric van. Like Kia, Farizon will only bring electric vans to the UK and is busy building a dealer network through its distribution partner, Jameel Motors.
The company is in discussions with both independent dealers and dealer groups and Kate McLaren, head of marketing and sales operations hopes that some will have been signed up by the summer. “By the end of the year we may have as many as five to 10 dealers, said McLaren, speaking to VFW at the show. “Just today actually, the number of prospects that have come onto the stand and the interest has been quite considerable, so we will be picking up new prospects. It’s about us having sufficient coverage and sufficient partners to handle the sales volume.
“We are never going to be the same size as a major OEM with 190 sites. We don’t need that and nor would that be viable, so yes, the sales development team are well underway with that currently.” The company has just been given planning permission to develop its own dealer site in Park Royal, London, which will be its flagship site.
The business also announced a service partnership with the AA to provide mobile backup for its dealers. “Dealers will have an area of operation and sales area and they also have the AA for service,” said McLaren. “I suppose the customer can choose whether they want to use the AA service or the dealer and ultimately if the deal is good, they will want to go to that dealer.”
McLaren’s team is in discussions with a range of van operators, from leasing companies to SMEs operating less than 25 vehicles. “A big fleet deal would be good for starters I think, to get us off the ground,” she said.
Renault
Renault’s global launch was the new all-electric Trafic, Goelette and Estafette concepts which will not be launched until late 2026. New Master was also on display. As we have said before, the electric vans project, named Flexis, is a joint venture involving Renault Group, Volvo Group (specifically Renault Trucks) and transport company CMA CGM. All three models are based on the same electric ‘skateboard’ platform.
New Trafic will be first to market and will be sold alongside the current Trafic model, which will continue as an internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered model only. New Trafic will replace the current Trafic E-Tech electric model. Goelette, effectively a chassis-cab variant of Trafic, will follow and Estafette, a walk thru design 2.6m high will offer standing headroom inside.
The Renault Group’s Ampere division has been responsible for the software-defined vehicle aspects of the design, designed to offer predictive maintenance, over-the-air software updates and integrate Google apps, among other things.
We asked Alessandro de Rinaldis, Renault Trafic, Goelette and Estafette product leader, why the company had adopted this approach. “From the very beginning, this new range was supposed to be flexible, modular and customisable to the greatest possible extent,” he told VFW. “That’s why we figured it out in these three versions where the Goelette is the most customisable one, because it can be transformed in many ways in the plant. On the other hand, we wanted a vehicle that also from the software standpoint was as flexible as possible. SDV’s capability will embody this potential, knowing that this software-defined vehicle architecture is launched with the three new vans. But it will be part of the group strategy and deployed on the other vehicles.”
Sebastien Crochemore is the vice president of LCV and pickup product performance. “It’s a full new ecosystem implemented with SDV and that’s not just one shot because within, say, the concentration of all the data and intelligence in two parts into the vehicle’s ‘brain’, instead of many sensors in the vehicle previously, which we can upgrade during the life cycle of the vehicle. That’s pretty important now because we know that customers have their expectations today, but they could have new ones tomorrow and we want to be able to progress every day and that should be possible with SDV.”
Flexis is focused on the needs of the logistics industry
Flexis
Renault and Renault Trucks will sell all three models through their dealer networks, but Flexis will also be a brand in its own right. We asked head of Flexis UK, Matt Hawkins how the company would distinguish itself from the Renault and Renault Trucks brands. “We've been born out of the realisation and the logistics industry’s necessity for a supplier that can be really laser-focused on what that logistics industry needs. I think for a period of time there was a recognition that there was an opportunity and a need there, but because of the specialist requirements of logistics operators, not one company was able to do everything that was needed. Bigger, well-established OEMs struggled with it because they are used to building a commercial vehicle that can be used by anyone to do anything, but in doing that, what you inadvertently do is create very good vehicles that aren't 100% applicable for anyone.
“What Flexis has been born to do is to create a vehicle or a range of vehicles that have that laser focus on the logistics industry and also back that up with all the solutions and services and software and infrastructure and consultancy that helps to create an entire ecosystem for logistics operators to benefit from.”
Flexis is not planning to operate through a conventional dealer network but to deal directly with customers.
“What Flexis has been born to do is to create a vehicle or a range of vehicles that have that laser focus on the logistics industry”
Isuzu
Isuzu unveiled its electric Isuzu D-Max EV, first suggested over a year ago. The pickup is due to arrive in February 2026 and will offer a payload over 1,000kg, 3,500kg towing capacity and full-time four-wheel drive using front and rear electric motors. It will be equipped with a 66.9kWh battery. Isuzu has yet to offer driving range data. It will be available with both extended and double cabs. De Dion rear suspension will replace traditional leaf springs.
KGM
Appearing in the show only in video form was the KGM Musso EV pickup, which is due to arrive later in the year. It will be equipped with an 80.6kWh battery and 207hp (152kW) drive motor. KGM claims a range of up to 249 miles in two-wheel drive.
