Kia teases EV6 battery electric vehicle as it shifts to electrification

March 9, 2021March 15, 2021 Iain Curry 1826 Views EV6, kia electric, kia ev6

Kia has revealed its first teaser images of the EV6, the Korean brand’s first dedicated battery electric vehicle, ahead of its full reveal later this month.

UPDATE
Revealed! See the all-new Kia EV6
And read about Kia’s new “opposites unite” design philosophy

The sharply-styled mid-size SUV will be the first Kia to use the company’s new EV Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) – architecture shared with various Hyundai and Genesis models, including the Hyundai Ioniq 5.

YouTube player — Shadowy pictures of Kia’s new EV6

The reveal comes a matter of weeks before the Australian Kia Niro launch, which will be available as an all-electric EV, plug-in hybrid and conventional hybrid.

Simple names

The EV6, however, is the first Kia to launch which was designed from the ground-up to be only a battery electric vehicle.

Also new is the simple naming convention. Kia’s bespoke EVs will be called EV1, EV2, EV3, EV4, EV5, EV6, EV7, EV8 and EV9, with the number increasing with vehicle size. The EV6, therefore, sits at the larger end of forthcoming models, with Kia promising seven of these EVs will be available globally by 2025.

There was no word when the EV6 would be fully revealed (although we were promised it would be in the first quarter if 2021), its expected on-sale date or when we’re likely to see it in Australia.

Kia Australia spokeswoman Alyson MacDonald told EVcentral they were “obviously interested and have our hand up” for the EV6, but “it’s too early to say any more as there are no details confirmed yet.”

The EV6 and its EV stablemates will feature Kia’s modernised new badge (you’ll have seen it sponsoring the Australian Open tennis earlier this year), and their body styles have been “developed under a new design philosophy that embodies Kia’s shifting focus towards electrification.”

Hyundai Ioniq 5 rival

The shadowy pictures show a distinctive SUV outline, while the rear light detail has a dash of Kia Stinger about it, which is no bad thing at all.

We can expect the EV6 to compete with sister brand Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 EV SUV, which shares its E-GMP architecture. The Hyundai boasts 800-Volt charging capability and can go from 10 percent battery capacity to 80 percent in 18 minutes when connected to a 350kW ultra-rapid charger. A five-minute charge is claimed to add 100km of range, while Long Range versions claim to have a range between 470km and 480km.

It would be reasonable to expect the Kia EV6 to do likewise, and be priced close to the Ioniq 5’s expected $60,000-$70,000 tag when it goes on sale in Australia in the third quarter of 2021.

Kia, alongside Hyundai and Genesis, has strongly hinted at performance versions of its EVs. Ex-BMW Motorsport guru Albert Biermann heads the Performance and R&D Division of Hyundai Motor Group (which Kia is part of) and has previously said: “We’re preparing a very emotional battery electric driving experience, also maybe for Kia and Genesis.”

Kia has also hinted its future is ‘most probably’ being an EV brand, so the EV6’s arrival is set to kickstart something very significant indeed.

Iain Curry

A motoring writer and photographer for two decades, Iain started in print magazines in London as editor of Performance BMW and features writer for BMW Car, GT Porsche and 4Drive magazines. His love of motor sport and high performance petrol cars was rudely interrupted in 2011 when he was one of the first journalists to drive BMW's 1 Series ActiveE EV, and has been testing hybrids, PHEVs and EVs for Australian newspapers ever since. Based near Noosa in Queensland, his weekly newspaper articles cover new vehicle reviews and consumer advice, while his photography is regularly seen on the pages of glossy magazines.