Kia EV6 is expected to launch in India in the second half of next year or 2023 and is based on the dedicated E-GMP platform
On the back of unveiling the Carens three-row UV, Kia India has revealed that it will announce its electrification strategy next year for the domestic market. It is currently studying various factors including price, range and charging infrastructure. Hyundai has plans to invest around Rs. 4,000 crore to bring in as many as six EVs by 2028 locally.
Recent reports that emerged on the interweb indicate the EV6 to be the first model Kia will launch in India. It is the South Korean auto major’s first dedicated electric vehicle and it made its global premiere a few months ago. It harbingers a new line of Kia EVs underpinned by the E-GMP (Electric-Global Modular Platform) that is also found in the Hyundai Ioniq 5.
The Kia EV6 is based on the Opposites United design philosophy and ti boasts a clamshell bonnet, short overhangs, sleek-looking LED headlights, boomerang-shaped LED Daytime Running Lights complementing the ‘Digital Tiger Face’, raked front windshield, long wheelbase, high-mounted stop lamp, sloping C-pillars, LED tail light bar running across the width, two-tone alloy wheels, etc.
The cabin comes with a two-spoke steering wheel, use of high-quality surface materials and recycled plastic materials, dual-tone theme, driver-focussed digital instrument cluster, touchscreen buttons with haptic feedback for AC controls, augmented reality, driver assistance and so on. Just as the India-bound Hyundai Ioniq 5, the EV6 also uses a 58 kWh battery pack with 170 hp and 350 Nm.
The base two-wheel-drive model can do zero to 100 kmph in 8.5 seconds while the bigger battery pack enables a total power output of 321 hp and 605 Nm. It does zero to 100 kmph in 5.2 seconds and transfers power to all four wheels. The lower battery pack has a claimed range of 400 km on a single charge in the WLTP cycle and it could be the one heading to India.
The larger battery pack has a driving range of 510 km on a single charge while the performance-based GT variant is capable of achieving 585 hp and 740 Nm. Courtesy of the e-GMP, the Kia EV6 offers standard 800 V charging capability as it can charge to 80 per cent in just 18 minutes using a 350 kW fast charger.