Kia EV6 prices increase by $4600, but more stock coming

The Kia EV6 electric SUV is now $4600 more expensive as the company responds to rising production costs and the increasing prices of raw materials.

Already the most expensive vehicle in Kia showrooms, the EV6 has now crept up to start at $72,590 before on-road costs for the EV6 Air.

Pricing for the better-equipped GT-Line now starts at $79,950 before costs, while the dual-motor all-wheel drive version is $87,590 plus on-road costs.

In a statement Kia said: ”An increase in costs globally and locally, such as raw materials, production and logistical costs, has resulted in an adjustment to the local recommended retail price of the EV6 range. Our objective at Kia Australia is to ensure the pricing is still acceptable to the market place and most importantly the consumer.”

At the very least it creates more of a gap between the EV6 and the recently-arrived Kia Niro, which has less space and power.

Despite the increase in costs sister company Hyundai says it has no plans to increase the price of its Ioniq 5, which shares its E-GMP electrical architecture and many components with the EV6.

Hyundai has already announced price increases across many of its ICE-powered vehicles for August. The Ioniq 5 is not included in those planned price rises.

But there’s set to be a sweetener to relieve the EV6 price sting: Australia looks set to get more of the new EV6 electric SUVs that has people queuing to own it.

Kia Australia product planning manager Roland Rivero told us as many as 300 additional EV6s could make it to Australia in 2022. That’s on top of the 500 already planned, around half of which have already been delivered.

“We’d probably get to around 800 [for 2022],” said Rivero, adding there had been “lots and lots of haggling … daily discussions with headquarters” to secure more EV6 stock.

Rivero also conceded that the EV6 price rises were key to securing additional stock for Australia.

“If we do the right things with cost recovery it also helps get more stock.”

In other words, if Australia is paying the same or more for the EV6 than other countries it’s more likely to convince head office to divert more Down Under.

The EV6 is not alone in undergoing a recent price rise. Most EVs on sale in Australia are more expensive than they were a year or two ago.

And the recently-arrived Tesla Model Y – a car that competes with the Kia EV6 – was given a price rise one week after it went on sale.