2025 Kia EV6 overhaul confirmed and previewed: Updated Tesla Model Y fighter will be here later this year

May 8, 2024May 7, 2024 John Mahoney 11782 Views electric car, ev, EV6, Kia, Model, Tesla, Y

Three years after it was launched the Kia EV6 electric mid-size SUV is ready for an overhaul.

To prove it, Kia has given us our first glimpse of its new front and rear styling ahead of an Australian launch later in the year.

Previewing the Tesla Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E rival’s new face and rear styling, it’s clear the EV6 will adopt a pair of new C-shaped-ultra-slim front lamps and a pair of revised taillamps in a bid to align it with the more recent EV5 and EV9 electric SUVs.

Other changes for Kia’s first ground-up EV include a grille that’s set to feature a more prominent ‘tiger nose’ shape. Both the front and rear bumpers will also be revised.

As well as sharpening up its styling, the popular Kia EV6 will get a chassis that’s set to offer a better ride-handling balance, plus a revamped interior that will feature more tech and perhaps even involve a redesigned centre console.

Crucial to the updates, will be a new 84kWh battery that will replace the current car’s 77.4kWh power pack and, along with other hardware changes, could dramatically increase the range from the current car’s 504km (WLTP).

It’s not known if Kia the current range of motors will carry over but if they do expect the line-up to kick off with a rear-drive version that produces 168kW and top out with a far-faster dual-motor EV6 GT to pack as much as 270kW.

As part of the facelift, the GT might be accompanied by an even quicker derivative that will pinch the wild 478kW dual-motor set-up from the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N. If so, expect it to launch from 0-100km/h in less than 3.5 seconds.

Other possible tweaks for the flagship GT version is the IONIQ 5 N’s virtual gearshift system that manually up- and downshifts on the move.

When it arrives, the combination of enhanced spec, a bigger battery and the addition of new tech could push up pricing for the Kia EV6 range that currently kicks off at $72,590 (plus on-road costs) in Australia for the Air RWD and stretches to $99,590 (plus ORCs) for the EV6 GT.