Hyundai's sibling Kia Motors today launched its first electric car in India. The highly talked about car, Kia EV6, is hitting the markets two versions, namely GT Line and GT Line AWD. While all the details of the electric crossover were known before, its price alone was kept under wraps. Kia India officially announced that the GT Line version of Kia EV6 will cost Rs 59.95 lakh, while the GT Line AWD variant will cost Rs 64.95 lakh (both prices, ex-showroom). Deliveries of the car will begin in September this year. The thing is, the AWD variant will be made available in September, while RWD buyers will have to wait till December.
Kia, which is importing the car as CBUs (Complete Built-Up Units), is making available only 100 units initially. The bookings began on May 26 at 15 select dealerships across 12 cities in India.
Kia EV6: Features
The award-winning Kia EV6, which has been received well in all the markets where it has been released, indeed has sleek looks and has a spacious cabin with a host of ADAS functions.
The EV6 sporty crossover is being offered with the 77.4kWh battery pack with a claimed range of up to 528km on a single charge. Its single-motor RWD variant packs 229PS and 350Nm of performance and peak range, while the dual-motor AWD version offers slightly less range but ups the sportiness with 325PS and 605Nm.
Kia EV6 has a charging capacity of up to 350kW, a 50kW DC fast charger can top the battery from 10 to 80% in 1 hour 13 minutes. Using a home socket, it will take 36 hours for a full charge, so Kia offers a 22kW home charger for the buyers of the EV6. All the 15 Kia dealerships selling EVs will be equipped with 150kW fast chargers for added convenience.
The car has 19-inch wheels and silvered skid plate. The Kia EV6 sports a sloping roofline, a new-age 'Digital Tiger Face,' a sculpted bonnet, a sleek grille, and swept-back LED headlights with boomerang-shaped DRLs.
On the sides, it is flanked by blacked-out pillars, flush-fitted door handles, indicator-mounted ORVMs, and 19-inch alloy wheels.
Kia EV6: Interiors
Inside, the EV gets 8 airbags and ventilated seats. The five-seater cabin features a multifunctional steering wheel, a minimalist dashboard, a sunroof, ventilated front seats, a 14-speaker Meridian audio system, and auto climate control. It also packs a dual 12.3-inch display setup for the digital instrument cluster and the touchscreen infotainment panel.
The Kia EV6 has Panoramic Dual 31.24 cm (12.3”) Curved Displays with navigation and driving data and vehicle functionalities display as well. It also gets a Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), and an Augmented Reality enabled HUD with details of vehicle speed, and turn-by-turn navigation instructions.
The Kia EV6 features an all-black interior with black suede seat and vegan leather bolsters. The Kia EV6 will be available in India with a choice of five exterior colours – Moonscape, Snow White Pearl, Runway Red, Aurora Black Pearl, and Yacht Blue.
Kia EV 6 is pitted in competition against the likes of Hyundai Ioniq 5, Volvo XC40 Recharge, which are set to be launched soon, and BMW i4 electric sedan that has already been introduced in India.
