Kia Corp. unveils its first all-electric model EV6 at a global premier event on March 30, 2021, in this photo provided by the automaker.
SEOUL, March 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Kia Corp. on Tuesday unveiled the EV6, its first all-electric model built on a dedicated platform that can travel over 500 kilometers on a single charge.
In an online world premier event, South Korea’s No. 2 automaker showcased its crossover EV6 based on its parent Hyundai Motor Group’s electric global modular platform (E-GMP), which is the same platform used for the Hyundai Ioniq 5 unveiled last month.
The EV6 is the first of 11 fully electric vehicles (EV) Kia plans to roll out by 2026 as part of its EV drive. The automaker’s other EV models are the Niro and Soul, which are offered alongside gas and hybrid variants.
“The EV6 is the first model that comes after Kia declared its vision to transform itself from an automaker to an innovative mobility solution provider,” Kia President Song Ho-sung said during an online press briefing.
“The EV6 is a symbolic model developed under Kia’s mid- and long-term plan to increase the ratio of eco-friendly models to 40 percent of total sales by 2030.”
The EV6 is priced at from over 45 million won to around 55 million won (US$40,000 and $48,500). With government subsidies, it can be purchased at below 40 million won, the company said.
The model will offer two choices of battery packs — a standard 58-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery pack and a long-range 77.4-kWh one.
The long-range model with an 800-volt system can travel over 510 km on a single charge, which is further than the Ioniq 5′s 430-km driving range, and charge up to 80 percent of battery capacity in 18 minutes, the company said.
The interior design of Kia Corp.’s EV6 crossover is seen in this photo provided by the automaker on March 30, 2021.
The EV6 offers a more spacious interior than other EVs that spawned from gasoline-powered models, and the sleek design embodies its shifting focus toward electrification, it said.
Its battery can be used as an energy storage system thanks to “vehicle-to-load” technology, which enables the electricity from the battery to be used by external devices.
The crossover also comes with advanced safety features such as lane keeping assist, blind spot collision avoidance, safety exit assist and rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist systems.
Kia said it will begin accepting pre-orders on Wednesday ahead of its official launch in major markets, including South Korea, Europe and the United States, in the latter half of this year.
The company said it aims to sell 30,000 units globally this year and targets 100,000 units next year when a high-end trim is released.
Song said the company decided to start the pre-sales process several months before the launch to better predict consumer demand and manage inventories for essential EV parts.
“It is very important to secure parts for EVs, including battery and power train system,” Song said. “We think it’s crucial to have the production capacity to meet the customer expectation for EVs not only for this year but through next two years.”
The CEO’s remarks come as the company’s bigger affiliate Hyundai Motor said earlier in the day that it will suspend production at a domestic plant for Ioniq 5 next month due to a chip shortage.
(Yonhap)
