January 2023: Kia EV6 GT driven in Australia
“This isn’t even my final form”, chuckled the 239kW & 605Nm EV6 GT-Line last year. Now we understand… see our first drive review of the flagship EV6 GT, including a track test, at the link below.
January 2023: EV6 GT joins local line-up
With the arrival of the GT flagship, Kia’s EV6 range has a new hero model. Get all the 2023 EV6 details and pricing at the link below.
The story to here
December 2022: The EV6 GT – Kia’s most powerful and expensive vehicle yet – is set for an Australian release in January 2023.
A list price of $99,590 before on-road costs was leaked earlier in the month, though Kia is yet to confirm this is the final ask. Still, justifying that expected price are 430kW/740Nm outputs courtesy of two electric motors, for a 0-100km/h sprint time of 3.5 seconds.
Driving range for the E-GMP-based EV6 GT is rated at 424 kilometres on the WLTP combined cycle from the same 74kWh lithium-ion battery pack as cooking EV6 GT-Line and Air variants.
Watch our walk-around review below!
Key Points
- Kia EV6 to be based on E-GMP platform
- Starting price of $67,990 in Australia
- In local showrooms from February 2022
February 25, 2022: Model arrives in local showrooms, Australian first drive
Mike Stevens puts the EV6 through its paces, testing how its driving range performs on a long drive from Canberra to Melbourne. Check out his Australian first drive impressions on the link below.
It’s also the day the EV6 arrives in local showrooms, though with only 500 examples on offer, as well as wait times reportedly blowing out and allocation being staggered throughout the year – getting your hands on one might be trickier than you’d think.
“The Kia EV6 is about to make its mark on the local electric vehicle offering in Australia and has already proven itself as the new halo for the Kia brand, attracting a remarkable level of interest leading up to its arrival,” said Kia’s Chief Operating Officer, Damien Meredith.
“Based on this unprecedented consumer interest, we are confident we could find an Australian home for more EV6’s than the 500 units allocated to our market in 2022.
“We are in constant dialogue with headquarters about accessing more EV6 stock.”
January 28, 2022: Australian pricing and features revealed
Kia looks set to undercut Hyundai with the EV6 coming in at a lower list price than its Ioniq 5 cousin, starting at just $67,990 before on-road costs.
Australian cars are available either in rear- or all-wheel drive guise, although the 77.4kWh battery pack is a standard feature no matter which variant, providing an all-electric driving range of up to 528km.
Read on below for the full breakdown of the EV6’s local pricing and features.
December 10, 2021: First international drive
Angus Mackenzie gets behind the wheel of the EV6 for the first drive impressions of Kia’s latest EV.
Click the link below to watch and read the European review.
November 20, 2021: EV6 sets US coast-to-coast EV record
The 2022 Kia EV6 has made it into the Guinness World Records after travelling across the United States mainland with the shortest required charging time.
The EV6 needed seven hours, 10 minutes and one second of charging to complete the 4635 kilometre trek from New York City to Los Angeles, with an average of 20 minutes charge time per stop.
Kia’s new record beat the previous record holder, the 2015 Tesla Model S P85D, by more than five-and-a-half hours (12 hours, 48 minutes and 19 seconds).
November 16, 2021: Australia allocated 500 EV6 examples
Australia will receive 500 examples of the 2022 Kia EV6 next year, but only two will be allocated to dealerships initially.
Kia confirmed the 500 electric vehicles earmarked for Australia will be staggered throughout the year, but sources told Wheels most Kia dealerships will get just two EV6 models to begin with – a demonstrator, and a vehicle to sell.
Of the 91 Kia dealerships across Australia, a handful have yet to be set up to both sell and service the EV6 – the Korean carmaker’s first dedicated electric car. It’s estimated the first batch will comprise around 160 vehicles
March 30, 2021: Kia EV6 set for Australian berth
Kia has confirmed the EV6 will be available in Australia, although it has not yet confirmed the price or specs of locally-delivered variants.
March 15, 2021: Kia EV6 revealed
Just days after it was first teased, Kia has formally revealed its first dedicated EV model, the Kia EV6 – bringing with it the Korean carmaker’s new design language.
Apart from its handsome looks, the EV6’s design is notable for being the first Kia model in thirteen years not to have the Korean carmaker’s distinctive tiger-nose grille because, well, it doesn’t need one.
It’s replaced by a new “Digital Tiger Face” as part of its new ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy that relies on five key elements: ‘Bold for Nature’, ‘Joy for Reason’, ‘Power to Progress’, ‘Technology for Life’, and ‘Tension for Serenity’.
What do these even mean? We’re glad you asked.
Bold for Nature is based on interaction with nature, informed by the details, shapes and proportions found both in the natural and human worlds.
Joy for Reason focuses on the feel and ambience of Kia’s future vehicles.
Power to Progress builds on the brand’s current design strengths.
Technology for Life embraces new technologies and innovations to foster positive interactions between humans and machines.
Tension for Serenity evokes the tension between opposing forces and creative contrasts and recognises the design equilibrium that comes from two opposing forces.
That’s a lot of artistic and marketing guff to digest, but we have to agree it has delivered a very handsome looking coupe-like crossover, with sharp lines and slim dynamic light patterns including the distinctive LED tail-light cluster that extends around to the wheel arches from swept-back rear-end.
Like its recently-revealed Ioniq 5 cousin, the EV6 has been built on Hyundai’s Electric-Global Modular Platform – E-GMP, which allows for a very spacious and innovative interior.
And like the Ioniq 5, it features a seamless high-definition audiovisual and navigation (AVN) screen that melds the digital driver’s display, behind an attractive two-spoke, which now bears the revamped Kia logo.
Haptic buttons below the AVN are used to operate the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) while below this panel, the dashboard slopes away towards the front of the car, creating a sense of space and openness for the front-seat passengers.
According to Kia, the seats are slim, lightweight and contemporary, and clad in modern, robust fabrics created using recycled plastics.
Performance specs are yet to be released, but expect the EV6 to perform similarly to the Ioniq 5, which offers 58kWh and 72.6kWh battery sizes delivering a driving range up to 480km and an 80 percent charge in 18 minutes on a 350kW ultra-rapid charger.
The EV6, which will make its way to Australia some in 2022, will make its world premiere in March 2021 during a special online event – watch this space.
Keyword: 2023 Kia EV6: Everything we know about the Ioniq 5's cousin