Kia has officially unveiled its EV6 electric model. We had a sneak peek last week, but now we get to see the whole thing. The EV6 is the first Kia model built on the Hyundai-Kia group's E-GMP (Electric-Global Modular Platform), the same platform that will serve the Ioniq 5.
The good news is that aesthetically, it's not just a clone of that Hyundai EV, in fact the EV6's styling is radically different from that of the Ioniq 5. As for the mechanics, Kia kept those cards in its hand today so we'll have to wait and see. However, we expect the EV6 to make like the Ioniq 5 on that front; anything else would be surprising.
The EV6's styling is very eye-catching. At first glance, it looks more like a car than an SUV, although the slightly elevated stance does at least whisper SUV. The lines are very clean, and the front end features good-sized headlights connected by a thin band instead of the traditional grilles typical of models running on a combustion engine.
The roofline that slopes towards the rear offers a nice effect and at the back, we see unique and slender lights that extend from one end to the other, plunging towards the fender flares. Not sure if visibility is going to be all that optimal from the inside, though.
On board, the layout looks like a more streamlined and minimized version of what's found inside the K5 sedan. The dashboard and media screen are integrated at the top, and the whole thing appears at least slightly oriented towards the driver. The air vents, meanwhile, are incorporated into a strip that splits the dash in two - a fashionable approach lately. The design also features a floating centre console.
If the EV6 does get the same kind of powertrain as the Ioniq 5, we can expect both rear-wheel drive (one motor) and all-wheel drive (two motors) configurations; those are good for 215 and 302 hp, respectively. The model will probably be offered with a base battery of 58 kWh and another one offering more capacity at 77.4 kWh.
No date has been given for the vehicle's arrival on the market, but it's not impossible that it will be presented in more detail towards the end of the year and that it will make its debut at this time next year.
