Kia

The stunning, fully electric Kia EV6 will feature super-car performance, extra-long range, ultra-fast charging ability and it’s coming to New Zealand.

In yet another electrifying product announcement from Kia, full details of the company’s first dedicated battery electric vehicle have been revealed today in a Covid-compliant international web launch, along with plans for the EV6 to go on sale later this year.

New Zealanders can register their interest in online via a special EV6 page on the Kia website.

Kia is expecting interest to be huge following three weeks of teasing various pieces of information on the forthcoming EV6, including photos that showed it to be a sleek and charismatic five-door cross-over, unlike any other vehicle developed by the brand. Those EV6 photos promise much and the latest information reveals that the new Kia will more-than deliver, with exhilarating performance.

“It’s a very exciting car and it’s size is ideally suited to the New Zealand market – the wheelbase is similar to that of our Sorento large SUV, so it will be a spacious and comfortable vehicle,” says Todd McDonald, Managing Director of Kia New Zealand.

The EV6 – Kia’s first car to be based on the company’s dedicated new platform for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) – has much more to offer.

The pioneering SUV will come with a choice of multiple long-range, zero-emissions powertrain configurations.

Top versions will boast a range of 510 kilometres, among the longest of any EV currently on the market. The 800V charging capability means EV6 can go from 10-to-80% battery charge in just 18 minutes on a DC system.

And Italian supercars watch out – a GT version of the Kia EV6, equipped with twin electric motors and all-wheel-drive is engineered to thrill, accelerating from 0-to-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds with a top speed of 260 km/h.

That performance truly lives up to the new Kia brand slogan, ‘Movement that inspires’, which was launched recently as part of the brand’s transition to  a new era of electrification. Under the new strategy, BEV sales will make up 40% of Kia’s total global sales by 2030.

EV6 is the first of 11 new BEV models to come from Kia by 2026 – seven built on E-GMP architecture, and four derivative EVs based on existing models.

“EV6 is the embodiment of the new Kia,” Ho Sung Song, Kia’s President & CEO.

“It is born to inspire every journey, through bold design, progressive engineering, innovative technologies and exciting electric performance. EV6 also represents the beginning of Kia’s long-term commitment to sustainable mobility, accelerating the transition not only to clean transportation, but also products, materials and manufacturing.”

The EV6 was designed under the brand’s new design philosophy ‘Opposites United’, which takes inspiration from the contrasts found in nature and the human world. At the centre of the design philosophy is a new visual identity evoking positive forces and natural energy, with contrasting combinations of sharp stylistic elements and sculptural shapes.

While the EV6 is designed with a long wheelbase of 2,900mm, the exterior dimensions are still compact, with short overhangs, so it will still comfortably fit within garage and parking building spaces.

It is packed with intelligent and flexible interior features and an abundance of cabin storage areas, including 520 litres (VDA) of boot space with the second-row seats in place. With the second-row seats folded down, stowage capacity increases to approximately 1,300 litres. There’s also an additional 52 litres of space under the bonnet in 2WD models and 20 litres for AWD models.

Above all, Kia intends the EV6 to be a driver’s car and among striking elements are the 12-inch dual screens that deliver a wide array of information in a simple yet sophisticated format, providing instand read-outs on the vehicle’s power systems.

A unique feature is Active Sound Design (ASD), which provides drivers with audible feedback through the speakers on the speed the car is travelling.

EV6 buyers, including those in New Zealand, will be offered a range of options, including long-range (77.4 kWh) and standard-range (58.0 kWh) high-voltage battery packs. This is Kia’s first electric vehicle to be available both with two-wheel (2WD)  and all-wheel drive (AWD) options.

The 2WD 77.4 kWh EV6 can travel over 510 kilometres on a single charge on the WLTP combined cycle. The 77.4 kWh battery pack is paired with a 168 kW (229ps) electric motor powering the rear wheels, and for AWD models a 239 kW (325 ps) electric motor powers the front and rear wheels. The latter version produces 605 Nm of torque, enabling the EV6 to accelerate from 0-to-100 km/h in just 5.2 seconds.

The 58.0 kWh EV6 can accelerate from 0-to-100 km/h in 6.2 seconds, with a maximum 605 Nm torque available on the AWD version. The 58.0 kWh battery pack is paired with a 125 kW electric motor powering the rear wheels, and for AWD models a 173 kW electric motor powers the front and rear wheels.

Equipped with 430 kW dual motors, the top-of the-range EV6 GT takes electric performance to another level. With a maximum 740 Nm torque from its twin electric motors mounted front and rear, the AWD GT version accelerates from 0-to-100 km/h in an eye-watering 3.5 seconds and can reach a top speed of 260 km/h.

“The GT version of EV6 demonstrates our technological leadership through its combination of outstanding high-speed charging and acceleration performance like a super sports car,” says Albert Biermann, President and Head of R&D Division for Hyundai Motor Group.

”With our dedicated EV platform, there is no need for compromise between inspiring spaciousness and performance.”

The charging system in the EV6 is more flexible than previous generation BEVs thanks to an Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU). The ICCU offers a new vehicle-to-load (V2L) function, which is capable of discharging energy from the vehicle battery. The V2L function can supply up to 3.6 kW of power and is capable, for example, of powering a 55-inch television and air conditioner simultaneously for more than 24 hours. The system is can also charge another EV, if needed.

For day-to-day use, the EV6 is charged overnight at home, however it offers 800V and 400V charging, without the need for additional components or adapters, from 10-to-80% in just 18 minutes or a top-up charge of 100 km of driving range in less than four-and-a-half minutes.

An important point for markets like New Zealand is that with more than 35% charge left in the battery, the EV6 can tow up to 1,600kg.

Energy-recuperating technologies used to maximise driving range include Kia’s latest-generation energy-efficient heat pump, which scavenges waste heat from the car’s coolant system. This ensures that at -7 degrees Celsius the car can achieve 80% of the range that would be possible at 25 degrees Celsius.

Kia’s smart regenerative braking system, operated by paddle shifters behind the steering wheel so drivers can quickly and easily slow the car and recuperate kinetic energy, helps to maximise driving range and efficiency. Drivers can choose from six regenerative braking levels to harvest the maximum amount of energy from its brakes and bring the car to a gentle halt without needing to push the brake pedal.

Kia is also promising a full suite of safety systems that incorporates the latest technologies to keep the vehicle and occupants safer on the road.

To register interest in the new Kia EV6 buyers can go to kia.co.nz