- Kia has unveiled the design of the upcoming 2022 EV6 electric vehicle. the first of 11 EVs promised by the automaker by 2026.
- It will be the first Kia built exclusively to be an electric vehicle using the Hyundai Motor Group’s Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP).
- Kia will share more details about the EV6 during an online event later this month.
Kia is in the middle of a design transformation, and the first vehicle to emerge from its fresh “Opposites United” philosophy is the EV6, which is also the automaker’s first dedicated EV. Based on the Hyundai Motor Group’s Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), the electric compact SUV will get a more thorough unveiling event with more details about the vehicle’s specs later in March.
The new design direction is bold, to say the least. The EV6’s sleek roofline and pronounced haunches give the vehicle a sporty and aggressive feel when combined with what Kia calls its Digital Tiger Face front. The rear window slopes down to a spoiler that houses a light bar that extends across the entirety of the back of the vehicle. It might not bode well for cargo space, but it does set the vehicle apart visually.
The automaker notes that its design is meant to realize “ultimate aerodynamic performance.” How that plays out in the wind tunnel is yet to be seen. Hopefully, Kia will share a drag coefficient number during a more robust online reveal later this month.
The EV6’s interior is more traditional but with bold angles and lines, especially in the center console, where the start button breaks up the path of a 45-degree angle piece of trim along the center stack. Unlike Hyundai’s 2022 Ioniq 5, the EV6 will not have a center console that slides back and forth or available footrests for the driver to use while waiting for the vehicle to charge.
When asked about any concerns about straying too far from mainstream automotive design for the EV6, Karim Habib, senior VP and head of global design for Kia, told Car and Driver, “This is an opportunity that we have right now to redefine transportation and mobility.” He continued, “I think our designs need to show that. I think our designs need to be quite confident about their orientation toward the future.”
While we don’t have specifics about the vehicle ahead of its larger launch, based on what we know about the Ioniq 5 that’s built on the same E-GMP architecture, we expect the EV6 to make close to 215 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. On the battery front, we anticipate a 77.4-kWh-capacity battery pack with a target range between 258 and 290 miles. Also like the Ioniq 5, pricing will likely start in the $45,000 range.
Kia’s new Opposites United design philosophy will inform all future vehicles from the automaker. Whether all those new Kias will have a design as bold as the EV6’s is unknown, but the company has said it intends to bring 11 EVs to market by 2026.
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