Kia unveiled its 2022 EV6 crossover as its first dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV) in the United States along with its new logo. Kia Motors America has now also rechristened itself as Kia America, under the brand’s ‘Plan S’ strategy that aims at delivering 11 all-new electrified models across the world by 2026.
The South Korean automaker showcased its first purpose-built electric car back in March and now, we have some of the specifics of what to expect from the EV6. The first electric vehicle from Kia also marks the beginning of the brand’s unique naming convention for its EV lineup. Kia informed the “EV” designation will be followed by a number that indicates the car’s position in the lineup which puts the EV6 somewhere in the middle of it.
Built on the E-GMP platform, the EV6 visual language combines classic sports car inspiration with high-tech cues, modern CUV styling and a coupe-like profile. It shares its width with that of a Ford Mustang Mach E and the wheelbase and ground clearance of a Tesla Model Y.
The unpinning platform of the KIA EV6 is the same as the Hyundai IONIQ 5, thus both these Korean cousins have a lot of common functionalities between them. These include the AWD capability, ultra-fast charging times, vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality, a flat-floor interior and use of sustainable materials throughout the cabin, along with a wide array of connectivity and advanced driver assistance systems.
Just like the IONIQ 5, KIA’s EV6 will be offered in an extremely broad lineup including a choice of two battery-pack sizes, and one- or two-motor configurations. The power spectrum is also very wide with the least powerful EV6 producing 167 horsepower, while the most powerful GT version offers more than three times as much, with 576 hp.
The base model has a single electric motor that powers the rear wheels and a 58.0-kWh battery pack. There’s also a rear-wheel-drive EV6 with the larger 77.4-kWh battery pack that should offer the longest range of any model with a claimed range of 483 km (300 miles).
The dual-motor, all-wheel-drive model comes with the larger battery pack of 77.4 kWh. Its front and rear electric motors provide a total of 313 horsepower, and Kia claims it gets to 100 kph (60mph) in 5.1 seconds.
The top of the line EV6 GT features the long-range battery pack only. With the 77.4 kWh battery the 160kW front motor and 270kW rear motor setup yields 576 horsepower (GT). It has an estimated 100 kph (60mph) capability under 3.5 seconds.
Kia will also offer a special EV6 First Edition that can be booked via an advanced reservation at Kia.com starting June 3. The South Korean brand will make just 1,500 units of this special edition model that will pack in dual-motor AWD and a 77.4 kWh battery setup. The EV6 First Edition offers the same styling as the standard design.
However, it will have a couple of upgrades from the standard version including Augmented Reality (AR) Head-Up Display, Remote Smart Parking Assist, wide sunroof, 20-inch wheels, premium 14-speaker Meridian audio system and a two-year subscription to SiriusXM7. Besides, the First Edition also come with a numbered interior badge highlighting the limited production volume and illuminated door sills with the First Edition designation. The special version will be offered in three unique colour combinations of Glacier White with dark green seats, Urban Yellow with black seats, and Steel Gray Matte with black seats.
Coming to the juicing-up time of the battery, Kia has offered 800V and 400V charging capabilities on all the EV6 models. The cars are capable of a high-speed charge from 10 to 80 percent in just 18 minutes. The 2WD models with the 77.4-kWh battery can also do a top-up charge of 100km of driving range in less than 4.5 minutes.
Kia has introduced a suite of technologies in its EV6 models to enhance safety, connectivity and infotainment. The EVs come with 12-inch dual screens high-tech infotainment system paired with a 14-speaker Meridian surround audio speaker setup. They also get an augmented reality head-up display, which shows ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) alerts, speed data and turn-by-turn navigation instructions onto the base of the windscreen in the driver’s line of sight. All the models come with Kia Connect for an easier and less stressful drive experience.
On the safety front, Kia has equipped the EV6s with its Advanced Driver Assistance system with remote smart parking assist. Additional safety features include lane following assist (LFA), Safe Exit Assist (SEA) and Highway Driving Assist 2 (HDA 2).
The first EV6 models are expected to go on sale in early 2022 in the US with the GT model following in late 2022.
