Kia Motors has started working on bringing the EV6 electric crossover to the Indian market. The EV has been spotted for the very first time on our Indian roads. It was not wearing any camouflage, only the rear badge was covered with masking tape. According to media rumours, Kia will be launching the EV6 in India by June of 2022.
The EV6 will be Kia’s first electric vehicle for the Indian market. They will bring it as a CBU or Completely Built Unit which means that it will be priced on the higher side. It will come with the same equipment level that is being offered on the global version. There will be no India-specific changes to the design or the platform.
It is based on the e-GMP platform which is also being used by Hyundai for their Ioniq vehicles. In fact, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 was also spotted in India and is expected to launch in India by this year. It will also come through the CBU route.
The e-GMP platform is an electric skateboard platform which means that all four wheels are positioned on the corners and the battery pack sits in between. This helps in maximising the interior space for the cabin and for the occupants. The wheelbase of the EV6 is 2,900 mm.
The platform is specifically built for electric vehicles which means that there is no transmission tunnel and the floor is absolutely flat. This translates to a good amount of space for the rear occupants too. Moreover, because it is a simple skateboard platform, the manufacturers are not bound to make a particular body style. In fact, they can use the same platform to make any body style. The battery size can also be changed depending on the vehicle’s requirement.
Kia EV6
The exterior of the EV6 looks sharp and aggressive. You won’t see any similar-looking vehicle to the EV6 which means that EV6 has an immense road presence on the road. Kia has based the design of the EV6 on the ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy.
The entry-level variant of the EV6 gets a 58 kWh battery pack that produces 170 hp of max power and 350 Nm of peak torque. The power is transferred to only the rear wheels. It has a 58 kWh battery pack that has a WLTP-rated driving range of 400 km. There is also a dual-motor setup on offer which bumps up the power to 235 hp and gets you all-wheel drive. The 0-100 acceleration time is 8.5 seconds.
You also get a larger 77.4 kWh battery pack. It produces 229 hp of max power and drives the rear wheels only. There is also an all-wheel-drive version in which the electric motor produces 321 hp of max power and 605 Nm of peak torque. The driving range is also increased to 510 km and it can hit a ton in 5.2 seconds.
If this is not enough, Kia is also working on a GT version which will come with 585 hp of max power and a massive 740 Nm of peak torque. It will be going against Audi RS e-Tron GT and Porsche Taycan.
Keyword: Kia EV6 Electric Crossover spotted first time in India