- kia has shared the first images of its upcoming electric vehicle, the ev6.
- it'll use hyundai motor group's e-gmp electric platform, which is shared with the recently unveiled hyundai ioniq 5 that uses a 77.4-kwh battery and offers either rear- or all-wheel drive.
- the ev6 will be the first of 11 promised new electric vehicles from kia by 2026, and it should go on sale this fall starting around $45,000.
kia says it'll have 11 new electric vehicles by 2026. of those 11 new evs, seven will be built on the hyundai motor group's e-gmp (electric vehicle platform) architecture, and this will be the first one to arrive. the kia ev6, which we expect to be kia's version of the recently unveiled hyundai ioniq 5, will be fully shown by the end of the month and join the soul ev and the niro ev in the korean automaker's current electric lineup.
kia says that its forthcoming electric vehicles will follow a simple, numbered naming scheme. each car's name will start with "ev" and be followed by a number. hyundai is taking a similar approach by using the ioniq subbrand for its electric vehicles and following it by a number. the ioniq 5 will be on sale in the fall and the ioniq 6 sedan and ioniq 7 suv are set for 2022 and 2024 arrivals.
we expect that the ev6 will share a 77.4-kwh battery with the ioniq 5 with an operating voltage of 800 volts. a single electric motor powering the rear wheels should be the standard option on the kia. similarly equipped ioniq 5s make 215 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque in this configuration. a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup should be optional, with 302 horsepower and 446 pound-feet of torque. the hyundai is rated at up to 300 miles on the wltp rating system, but epa estimates are usually lower. we can expect similar numbers for the ev6.
the ev6 also looks to have daring styling, just like hyundai's new ev. it's a mix between a hatchback and crossover with four doors and a futuristic look. the interesting-looking roofline flows back into a ducktail spoiler with slim taillights that jackknife down the quarter panel. you'll have to get used to this look because kia says it's the "embodiment" of its new design language.
we'll know more about kia's new electric vehicle by the end of the month, and it should go on sale alongside the 2022 hyundai ioniq 5 this fall starting around $45,000. kia hopes that by 2030, evs, hybrids, and plug-in hybrids will make up 40 percent of all its sales.