The styling is simple and expressive.
Kia
Ahead of its official world premiere later this month, Kia has released the first photos of the coming year battery electric EV6 on Sunday, and we have to say, it looks pretty good. In addition to being the brand’s first dedicated electric model and the first vehicle to be built on the new Electrical-global modular platform – which also supports the new Hyundai Ioniq 5 The EV6 will also be the first example of Kia’s new Opposites United design philosophy. It’s a lot of new ground to break, so it’s good that the EV6 makes such a strong first impression.
The EV6 boasts a crossover-like design with genre-bending proportions, not unlike the recently debuted Ioniq 5, but more wind-blown and streamlined than the angular and upright Hyundai. At the front is Kia’s new logo and a set of large headlights connected by a narrow top grille. Angular signature lights burn during the day with a sequential animation. Coupled with the larger, more aggressive bottom opening – which serves as an aerodynamic feature – these details form what Kia’s designers call the “digital tiger face”. The look is supposed to evoke the spirit of the carmaker’s current “teen nose” grid, but I don’t really see it.
Depending on which staff member you ask, this backside is brilliant or just busy.
Kia
There is a very cool character line that runs along the bottom of the door before turning upwards to join the surrounding taillights, which rake the steep, almost Jaguar I-Pacelike the rear glass and spoil the rest of the hatch. Dark finish around the lower edge of the EV6 and the wheel arches weakens the silhouette and gives the whole vehicle a fairly sporty profile.
Inside, the EV6 promises to deliver more space than you’d expect from a vehicle in its class – a feature of the E-GMP platform – though Kia has not revealed specific dimensions. It is probably safe to assume that the scale is not too far from the Ioniq 5 point. Where the Hyundai has a very flat dashboard design, the EV6 folds its cabin around the driver’s seat and integrates the digital instrument cluster and the massive center display into one curved black panel. In front of the driver is a two-spoke steering wheel. Between the front seats is a floating two-level center console with the start button, a swivel shift and a spacious lower storage space. Overall, the interior looks just as good as the EV6’s exterior design.
We’re still waiting to learn more about the Kia EV6’s electrical performance, range, charging technology and availability. We expect the numbers to stay with the Ioniq 5s now single and twin motor electric motors, which means there should be between 218 and 306 horsepower, 258 to 446 pounds of torque and up to about 300 miles of the European WLTP cycle. The Hyundai Motor Group has also made increasing efforts to differentiate the general products between its brands, and perhaps there will be more surprises that will be announced when the electric crossover makes its debut later this month.