Kia EV6 to reportedly launch in India by June 2022: here’s what we know so far

Korean automaker, Kia Motors, is planning on introducing the Kia EV6 as its first electrified offering in the Indian market as soon as June 2022. The Kia EV6 is a midsize compact SUV based on a fully electrified platform and capable of highly specced EV powertrains. The Kia EV6 shares much of its underpinnings from its sibling, the IONIQ 5, from Kia’s sister brand, Hyundai. The Kia EV6 will come to India via the completely built unit (CBU) route and will hence command a premium sticker price. However, Kia EV6 will serve as the beginning of a six model offensive by 2024 from the Kia-Hyundai partnership.

Kia EV6 and other electric Kia-Hyundai vehicles for India

The Kia-Hyundai sisterhood is likely to serve as a podium for many electric vehicles to come from these Korean manufacturers. The Kia EV6, which shares major underpinning with its Hyundai sourced sibling the Hyundai IONIQ 5, will be the first to enter the Indian market. The Kia EV6 will become the company’s first electric offering in India and will come via the CBU route. This means there will be little to no changes made to the car as and when it arrives in India.

The e-GMP platform-based Kia EV6 and Hyundai IONIQ 5will be the first of the six model offensive from the Korean brands by 2024. The e-GMP platform might form a base for future models in the pipeline and alterations and adaptions for new models on the same platform can be expected. Other than the Kia EV6 and Hyundai IONIQ 5, a mass-market compact SUV, the Kia e-Niro can be expected to hit the Indian markets soon. A facelifted version of the Hyundai Kona EV is also expected to arrive in India.

Kia EV6 specifications

The Kia EV6 is essentially a sporty and sleek-looking crossover, a creation of Kia’s ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy. Underpinning the upcoming CBU import is the Hyundai-Kia e-GMP platform for electric vehicles. Two powertrain options are likely to be provided – a single motor rear-wheel drive (RWD) set up and a dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) set up. In the RWD variant, the Kia EV6 makes 170hp while the dual-motor configuration on the AWD variant bumps the power up to 235hp. These power figures are for the Kia EV6 when paired to the base 58kWh battery pack.

Kia Motors also offers the option to upgrade to a higher spec 77.4kWh battery pack. This bigger battery pack when combined with the single motor on the RWD variant delivers 229hp. Pair it with the dual-motor configuration from the AWD variant and one is looking at 325hp of power being delivered. A range-topping GT Line model on the EV6, similar to the sporty GT line trims on the Kia Sonet and Kia Seltos, will benefit from a dual-motor AWD platform which would generate a strong 585hp of peak power and 740Nm of peak torque.

RWD setup with 170hp / 229 hp power output

AWD setup with 235hp / 325hp / 585hp power output

58kWh and 77kWh battery packs

ADAS, AR-based Heads-Up Display, connected features, and more

In terms of features, the Kia EV6 will pack in – connected car tech, a new two-spoke steering wheel design, an augmented reality heads-up display (HUD), ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) based safety features, and a dual-screen layout (one for the driver’s instrument cluster and one for the infotainment system).