EV6 a potential 2021 release in NZ

Less certainty from Kia here than expressed by Hyundai for the twinned Ioniq.

POTENTIAL for Kiwi electric vehicle enthusiasts to cross-check two strongly-related South Korean products here before year-end seems strong, though cannot yet be considered an absolute certainty.

In the wake of Kia in Seoul having released images, Kia’s national distributor has indicated optimism of the new EV6 hitting our roads in the second half of 2021, a timing that matches that for its Hyundai sister ship.

Aside from adopting a sportier look, offering perhaps less practicality, Kia’s car is in the same five-door, broadly crossover representation as the Hyundai Ioniq that is already confirmed for sale here.

The subordinate make’s first dedicated electric also has the Ioniq’s Hyundai-developed Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), so is expected to offer in the same drive formats – single motor rear-drive and dual-motor all wheel drive – and potentially have similar, if not identical performance and range.

 However, that side of the story has yet to be spelled out by Kia. The announcement from Seoul has simply been an entree to a full unveiling that is still weeks away. The preliminary exercise is simply to tell the styling story.

Neither local distributor is talking price, or exact specification, but Hyundai NZ is already accepting pre-orders for their model. Kia NZ’s comment does not broach that subject.

Expectation of the EV6 being considered by Kia NZ was always solid; it is already on the electric route with the battery-fed Niro, has recently added PHEV and mild hybrid versions of the Sorento and it knows the Ioniq is a firm starter.

EV6’s local placement might be considered a little less cemented, in that comment from Kia here says the car is ‘expected’ to go on sale in worldwide markets, New Zealand included, this year.

Kia says EV6’s shape is very much influenced by a new design philosophy, ‘Opposites United’, that it says embodies their shifting focus towards electrification and takes inspiration from the contrasts found in nature and humanity.

“EV6, as the first dedicated Kia EV, is a showcase of human-centred, progressive design and electrified power,” says Karim Habib, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Design Centre.

“We aimed to create a distinctive, impactful design by using a combination of sophisticated, high-tech features on pure and rich volumes, while providing a unique space as a futuristic EV.” 

A strong element is the ‘Digital Tiger Face’, a design progression evoking the spirit of Kia’s ‘Tiger Nose Grille’ for the electrified era.

Kia’s car appears to have a lower roofline and more compromised side glass aspects, particularly in respect to the rear doors, than Hyundai has dared with Ioniq.

The subordinate’s approach is more daring and more eye-catching, but could well compromise the interior spaciousness that is being hailed as a strength of the Ioniq. Interestingly, Kia has described the EV6’s interior design as profiling “an innovative use of space, creating a unique spatial and driving experience.”

 Kia NZ’s managing director Todd McDonald has noted that the car is “quite unlike anything produced by Kia in the past” and echoed head office in calling it “a hint of the brand’s future direction.”

In Hyundai form, the single motor version uses a 126kW rear-mounted motor. The all-paw’s combined power output is 227kW and 605Nm of torque. In latter form, the Ioniq 5 will accelerate from 0-100kmh in just 5.5 seconds.

Range depends on the battery. With the parent brand, there’s a choice of two - a 58kWh unit or a 72.6kWh unit. Hyundai hasn't indicated the range for the smaller, but the bigger one, with a single electric motor, lends 480km on the WLTP test.

It seems likely EV6 will also mirror the parent’s car with 800-volt charging capability. The Ioniq 5 can gain 100km range in just five minutes of charging and go from 10 percent to 80 percent charge in 18 minutes with 350-kW DC fast-charging. 

There has been speculation Kia might be ultimately allowed to release EV6 in a performance tune, with around 447kW, top speed of 260kmh and a 0-100kmh time as low as 3.5 seconds.

EV6 teased, no NZ call yet

Kia's equivalent of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 has been teased ahead of a global unveil later this month.

WITH Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 out in the open, it’s now Kia’s turn to give an idea about what it plans to do with the same underpinning.

Today the subordinate has revealed some teaser images of its first dedicated electric car, the EV6, with promise to reveal the car properly later this month. 

The images are prescient as, in all probability, the only aspect about the EV6 that can be kept in the dark is the look.

 It’s no secret the model is on the same E-GMP (for electric- global mobility platform) architecture as the Ioniq 5 and will likely run common drivetrain elements.

Hyundai New Zealand has announced intent to have Ioniq 5 on sale here in the second half of 2021 but Kia NZ has yet to share its thoughts about EV6’s local sale potential.

It’s highly the models would ever be confused if caught together at the kerbside. 

In a media statement, Kia designer Karim Habib said the Kia EV6 “is the embodiment of ... our new design philosophy.”

The car makes something of a statement; whereas Hyundai has gone for a sharp-edged, squared look for Ioniq 5, mainly through having used its original export car, the unremarkable Pony hatch, as a muse, Kia has taken an utterly modern approach.

The EV6 appears to have a sleek, coupelike roofline with an integrated rear spoiler at the top of the raked hatch, and a slight ducktail as well. The front end is low with a seemingly short overhang, and the slim headlights have a segmented LED pattern. There's no bit grille, but a thin black panel above which sites the new Kia logo. There’s speculation the car will have some large air intakes in the lower bumper.

One of the images suggests the taillights extend all the way to the rear wheel arch with a light bar running across the hatch. 

The base EV6 will likely have a single motor and rear-wheel drive, while a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup will come to the higher-end variants, as per the Ioniq.

Outputs? There’s speculation Kia might be ultimately allowed to release EV6 in a performance tune, with around 447kW, top speed of 260kmh and a 0-100kmh time as low as 3.5 seconds.

It seems just as possible, surely, that it will also nonetheless initially provision as Ioniq does, with either one or two electric motors, for two- or four-wheel drive.

In Hyundai form, the single motor version uses a 126kW rear-mounted motor. The all-paw’s combined power output is 227kW and 605Nm of torque. In latter form, the Ioniq 5 will accelerate from 0-100kmh in just 5.5 seconds.

Range depends on the battery. With the parent brand, there’s a choice of two - a 58kWh unit or a 72.6kWh unit. Hyundai hasn't indicated the range for the smaller, but the bigger one, with a single electric motor, lends 480km on the WLTP test.

It seems likely EV6 will also mirror the parent’s car with 800-volt charging capability. The Ioniq 5 can gain 100km range in just five minutes of charging and go from 10 percent to 80 percent charge in 18 minutes with 350-kW DC fast-charging. 

BTW, Kia says all its future electric vehicles will get the “EV” prefix, to streamline naming conventions and distinguish zero-emissions models. EV6 leaves lots of room for a lineup of models at both ends, with the number corresponding to the model's position in the lineup.