2022 Kia EV6


Kia’s first ground-up battery electric vehicle – the EV6 – will land in Canadian dealerships this month, priced from $44,995 and with five different packages to choose from.

Boasting not only Kia’s new ‘Opposites United’ design language but also a raft of driver-assist technologies, the EV6 is also the first EV from the Korean marque to showcase the brand’s new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) platform, set to underpin at least six more new EVs set to arrive before 2027.

2022 Kia EV6

2022 Kia EV6

Three of the five EV6 trims will be all-wheel drive, with all three expected to share the same battery-electric motor configuration.

The entry level ‘Standard Range RWD’ model, priced from $44,995, features a single 125 kW / 168 hp electric motor that powers the rear axle, and is the only package to utilize Kia’s 58 kWh battery. Estimated range is up to 373 km, and it’s priced to qualify for federal and provincial EV rebates.

The remaining four packages are expected to use the larger 77.4 kWh lithium-ion battery, though the Long Range RWD example – priced from $52,995 – is the only one to be rear-driven. Like its entry level counterpart, the Long Range features a single electric motor, albeit with power upped to 168 kW / 225 hp and an estimated range up to 499 km, the highest of the EV6 packages confirmed so far.

2022 Kia EV6

2022 EV6

The Long Range AWD, meanwhile, is expected to feature a dual-motor setup – a 74 kW electric motor at the front, 165 kW at the rear – for a combined total output of 239 kW / 320 hp. The estimated range of up to 441 km and pricing starts from $54, 995.

Two premium-orientated ‘GT-Line Package’ options are expected to be available using the same AWD dual-motor setup from $57,995 and $61,995 respectively, though the features for both have yet to be revealed.

2022 Kia EV6

2022 EV6

Kia Canada has also confirmed that a fourth drivetrain will be available “later in 2022” for the much anticipated EV6 GT edition, first teased in March last year. Also all-wheel drive and featuring a 77.4 kWh battery, the GT model packs a 160 kW electric motor at the front and a 270 kW example at the rear for a combined total of 430 kW (around 576 hp). Other dynamic cosmetic changes include larger wheels, a more aggressive fascia front and rear, and yellow brake calipers, matching yellow accents in the cabin upholstery. The as-of-yet unpriced GT is predicted to hit 0-100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds, which potentially puts Kia in the same performance bracket as the BMW i4 M50.

Alongside confirmed pricing and packages, KIA has also stated that the EV6 will feature a Canada-specific heat pump system that recycles ‘waste heat’ from the onboard electrical componentry rather than drawing directly from the battery itself, preserving the vehicle’s electric range in the process. Both the 58 kWh and 77.4 kWh batteries will also be compatible with a new ‘ultra-fast-charging’ setup: at its highest, 800 V rate, close to 100 km will be available within five minutes, while up to 80 per cent will be available inside 18 minutes.

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