Kia EV6: Specs and Australia launch

Kia's electric crossover SUV, the EV6, has been confirmed for Australia, with near-production specs announced.

Kia has shown the world its EV6 crossover electric SUV, telling local motoring journalists it'll bring the car to Australia. Here are the details.

Kia EV6 highlights

It's not the first Kia EV to come to Australia; the incoming e-Niro fills that gap. However, the EV6 will serve as Kia's flagship electric car.

The EV6 will roll on the Hyundai Motor Group's Electric-Global Modular Platform E-GMP platform. You'll find the same architecture underneath Hyundai's IONIQ 5. It's likely to form the basis for many new EV-only models from the carmaker over the next few years. Kia alone plans on using it for seven, as yet unannounced, battery electric models.

Power, performance and range

Let's cut to the chase.

The EV6 will come in one of two battery capacities. One, labelled as long-range, has a capacity of 77.4kWh. The other, standard-range, is 58kWh. As a 2WD, a long-range EV6 can travel up to 510 kilometres, according to the WLTP testing protocol. No other range info was given at the time of publishing. Technologies like waste-heat recovery help to improve efficiency.

Power measures up to 239kW (AWD, front and rear motors combined) on the standard EV6, with 605Nm of torque. A hotter EV6 GT AWD model has 430kW and 740Nm.

Acceleration wise, an AWD EV6 can zip from 0-100km/h in 5.2 seconds. A 58kWh EV6 travels the same distance in 6.2 seconds. The sporty GT approaches Tesla and Porsche EV territory, with a 0-100 time of 3.5 seconds quoted.

Charging

Infrastructure-depending, the EV6 is capable of 800V or 400V charging. That translates to real-world top-up times of just 18 minutes from 10-80% capacity. Or, to put it another way, you can add 100km of life into the battery in only 4 minutes, 30 seconds!

The EV6 might prove popular with campers, as Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) capability means the car can power a 55-inch TV or AC unit for over 24 hours. Another unique feature is the ability to charge another EV using the EV6.

New design philosophy

The EV6 is one of the first models to demonstrate Kia's "Opposites United" design phrasing.

Karim Habib, the Senior Vice President and Head of Kia Global Design, said Kia stylists wanted to create something unique and striking.

"With EV6 we aimed to create a distinctive, impactful design by using a combination of sophisticated, high-tech features on pure and rich volumes while providing a dedicated EV aiming to define our future."

Karim Habib, Senior Vice President and Head of Kia Global Design Center on the new EV6

The results are chiselled, hard lines that dissolve into neat, flowing curves.

The EV6 wears the latest incarnation of Kia's "Tiger Nose". The car literally looks poised to pounce, with an aggressive and muscular front-end.

Interior

On the inside, Kia says the EV6 is closer to a mid-size SUV in dimensions in spite of the crossover body style.

Jochen Paesen, Vice President for Interior Design at Kia, explained the passenger cabin was the most critical element to execute.

"People are first attracted by the exterior of cars, but they eventually fall in love with the interior – where they spend most of their time. So, designing an inspiring space for the EV6 was the most important thing for us. We believe EV6 can inspire customers by boosting their creativity," Paesen related.

The seats are one of the most attention-grabbing elements. Kia calls them "relaxation seats", and the front pews resemble motorsport bucket seats more than traditional types. Apparently, they are lightweight and clad in fabrics that contain up to 111 recycled plastic bottles.

As is becoming the norm, the EV6 has a wide and arched infotainment screen, with an ultra-minimal complement of switchgear.

Practicality

The EV6 looks like it'll be practical too! Kia notes the boot measures 520 litres in capacity with the seats up, and when folded down, the boot opens to roughly 1,300 litres. If that isn't enough for you, in place of where the engine normally lives is a front trunk. If you go for a 2WD EV6, it'll store 52 litres of luggage, but on the AWD model that drops to 20 litres.

The EV6 has a towing capacity of up to 1,600kg, provided the battery level is over 35%. It seems Kia is pitching the EV6 as an adventure vehicle – of sorts.

Kia EV6 Australia launch date and pricing

According to car news outlets, a spokesperson from Kia confirmed the EV6 was coming to Australia. They suggested production will start in Q4 of 2021, with delivery dates to be confirmed later. Kia will announce pricing closer to the local launch.

Picture: Supplied