Like much of the automotive world today, Kia is going in hot and heavy on electric vehicles. The brand's newest one is called the EV6, which rides on the same E-GMP platform as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 — and as we're learning, it's a far cry from the staid Niro EV that currently makes up the heart of the Kia electric lineup.
As the brand revealed on Tuesday, the top-tier model will be called the Kia EV6 GT. No shrinking violet of an eco-car will this be; the GT versions will be a legitimate performance crossover, thanks to 577 hp and 546 lb-ft of torque. It will accelerate from 0-62 mph in a claimed 3.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 162 mph.
Two versions of the EV6 will slot below it: a base EV6 and a sportier EV6 GT-line. Each will offer short-range 58-kWh and long-range 77.4-kWh battery packs, and both battery pack can be paired with either rear- or all-wheel-drive. Horsepower outputs will range from 167 hp for the short-range RWD version to 320 hp on the long-range AWD ones. (The EV6 GT will only offer the larger pack and AWD.)
Kia is targeting 316 miles of range under WLTP testing for the long-range RWD version. That should equate to somewhere in the vicinity of 280 miles under the EPA test cycle — though as we've seen, EPA ranges can still be conservative (or, in Tesla's case, optimistic).
One of the cool features of Hyundai's E-GMP platform will be its charging capability. The EV6 will handle both 400-volt and 800-volt fast-charging, giving it the ability to charge from 10 percent to 80 percent in as little as 18 minutes — or add 62 miles of range in about 4.5 minutes. (That is, of course, if you can find a charger capable of spitting out that amount of power.) And like the Ioniq 5, the EV6 will also deliver V2L capability, allowing it send power back out of its big battery.
The EV6 press release does not mention pricing, but the range of powertrain options suggests there will be a range of price points. Kia says it will go on sale in the second half of 2021 in certain markets.
