Kia Reveals Its EV6, the Brand’s First EV to Ride on New Hyundai E-GMP Platform
Kia confirms its EV6 crossover is coming to North America.
It’s the first Kia built on Hyundai’s new purpose-built E-GMP platform.
Four drivetrain configurations will be offered, including a 576-hp all-wheel-drive version.
The EV6 arrives in showrooms early next year.
Late last year Hyundai unveiled its all-new E-GMP platform for electric cars. Today Kia revealed more about its first use of that all-new electric platform: the practical-looking, performance-promising EV6 crossover utility vehicle.
The E-GMP will underpin 23 Hyundai and Kia electric vehicles by 2025, including vehicles from Hyundai, Genesis, and, as we see here, Kia. The EV6 is the first of 11 all-new, all-electric Kia has planned by 2026. The EV6 name fits in about the middle of the 11, as each model will get the letters “EV” followed by a number denoting where it fits in the lineup.
Kia, which was known as Kia Motors America but will now be known as simply Kia America, has big plans for EVs.
The EV6 is a crossover about the size of the popular Kia Telluride. Kia points out that the EV6 has the same 114.2-inch wheelbase as the Telluride, and is just a little longer than the 113.8-inches of the Tesla Model Y, a vehicle to which Kia would love to be compared. Width, Kia says, is the same as a Ford Mach-E at 74 inches. So it’s sized about as a comfortable mid-size CUV.
Inside is 102 cubic-feet of passenger room, which Kia promises is a “modern and eco-friendly cabin” with everything from vegan leather seats to 27.7 cubic-feet of cargo space behind the second row. There’s a head-up display Kia thinks is so good that it’s calling it “augmented reality” because it projects a 3D image that appears to float above the hood. And there are all the electro-entertainment features buyers demand nowadays from Bluetooth to wireless charging of cell phones, smartwatch accessibility to a UVO link connected-vehicle experience. All those advanced driver-assistance systems with all their acronyms are present as well, from blind-spot assist and forward collision-avoidance assist to high-beam assist.
Powertrain options are perhaps the most impressive specs on the EV6. Kia breaks with the seemingly standard use of lithium ion and incorporates a nickel-cobalt-manganese battery to power the EV6, available in two sizes: 58 kWh and 77.4 kWh. The flat battery rides under the flat floor of the vehicle.
Drivetrain choices are as follows:
RWD with a 58-kWh battery and a 160-kW rear motor making 167 hp.
RWD with 77.4-kWh battery and a 160-kW rear motor making 218 hp.
AWD with 77.4-kWh battery with a 70-kW front motor, 160-kW rear motor good for a combined 313 hp and a 0-60 mph time of 5.3 seconds.
AWD with 77.4-kW battery with a 160-kW front motor, 270-kW rear motor producing a combined 576 hp and a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds.
Obviously you’ll want the 576-hp setup, but that’s not available until later 2022.
Charging options include 400-volt and 800-volt DC charging working at speeds from 50kW to 350kW. At 800 volts the EV6 can refill from 10-percent charge to 80 percent in a claimed 18 minutes. There’s also an 11kW on-board charger for regular old Level 2 charging, as you might do overnight in your driveway.
Kia will offer an EV6 First Edition available by advanced reservation at Kia.com starting June 3. It’ll be limited to 1500 units and will include the 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 SiriusXM. First Editions will also get dual-motor all-wheel drive, the 77.4-kWh battery, three unique color combinations, illuminated “First Edition” door sills and a numbered interior badge highlighting the limited-production volume.
Look for EV6s in Kia showrooms in the first quarter of next year, with the 576-hp model in late 2022. Prices will be released closer to those launches.
