With EVs quickly catching on, Kia announces its fastest car yet, and it is all electric.
Key details
Kia unveiled the newest version of its EV6 electric car during Monterey Car Week on Friday. The EV6 was already available with 320 horsepower in the GT-Line AWD, but the new GT offers a lot more—577 horsepower, with a zero to 60 time of 3.4 seconds.
“The EV6 is an important car for Kia, and on the design side it opened up some possibilities,” says Kia Design Center head Karim Habib. “With the GT, we are improving and modifying the base model. There’s some history with that approach at Kia, including the Stinger GT.”
Dimensionally and visually, the GT is similar to upmarket GT-Line models. The GT has larger 21-inch alloy wheels with neon yellow brake calipers, a special steering wheel with a button to select the new GT Drive Mode, and suede-faced racing-type seats. The bumpers sport minor changes, and a rear aero spoiler has been added, says Barron’s.
“The changes are very subtle,” Habib says. “For a brand like ours, we wanted to do performance that isn’t overly aggressive, but is about the elevated driving experience. The car doesn’t have to shout—we just want to communicate a sense of fun.”
Why it’s news
The number of people wanting EVs has hit a tipping point, more than half of car buyers worldwide want EVs.The latest EY Mobility Consumer Index shows that 52% of people looking to buy a car want to buy an EV. This is the first time the number has exceeded 50%, representing a rise of 11 percentage points since last year.
Due to the rise in demand for EVs, the amount of companies making them is going to skyrocket over the next few years making competition fierce.
This new car is a big step for Kia to stay in the competition. The car comes with features that really make it stand out. Not only is it Kia’s fastest car, but it also comes with an Integrated Charging Control Unit that can be used to charge up another EV.
The car can also be fast-charged at up to 240 kilowatts. Add a DC fast charger, the EV6 GT can go from 10% to 80% full in less than 18 minutes. Other EV6 models have up to 310-mile range. The EV6 GT gets a 214-horsepower front motor and a 362-horsepower rear unit. Pressing the GT Drive button sends more power to the rear wheels and enables drift mode, allowing the driver to make controlled skids via oversteer and light up the tires, says Barron’s.
The GT is scheduled to be in showrooms during the fourth quarter of 2022 and pricing will be announced later this year.
