A Kia EV6 – the sister model to Hyundai’s well-received Ioniq 5 – has been spotted in Melbourne.
The image of the electric vehicle in a sparkling deep teal was snapped in Melbourne – evident by the unmistakable Skydeck in the background – and shared on Twitter on Tuesday.
With Kia sponsoring the Melbourne Open tennis tournament next week it’s not exactly much of a surprise, and according to Gary Buck who shared the snap, the EV6 looks even better in real life.
“At last I have seen one in real life. Looks fabulous and the photo does not do the colour justice,” he said.
@kiaaustralia #EV6 At last I have seen one in real life. Looks fabulous and the photo does not do the colour justice #EV6inAustralia @CarExpertAus @central_ev @BridieEV @TheDriven_io pic.twitter.com/NJ089OHYgQ
— Gary Buck AZ 💉 💉 (@buckgw) January 11, 2022
The EV6 is one of 11 new electric models planned by the South Korean carmaker and is expected to arrive in early 2022 in a long-range format.
It is in fact one of at least two vehicles now on Australian shores; the number plate of AHG-980 comes straight after the AHG-979 vehicle that we can confirm has been used for homologation purposes by Kia in Australia.
In December, Kia tuning specialist Graeme Gambold described the EV6 as light, nimble and responsive.
While pricing has not yet been announced by the company, specifications include a 77.4kWh battery and a choice of single-motor (RWD) or dual-motor (AWD).
Combined with a choice of three trims, the EV6 will be available in five variants, from the single-motor Air to the top-of-the-line dual-motor GT-Line S.
While the entry-level variant offers 350Nm torque and a maximum 168kW power output from its single motor, and its acceleration is a conservative (for electric vehicles) 7.3 seconds from 0-100km/hr.
The range-topping GT-Line S by comparison puts out a maximum 239kW power and 605Nm torque for acceleration from 0-100km/hr in a nimble 5.2 seconds.
Like the Ioniq 5, the EV6 is built on the e-GMP platform and will offer ultra-fast charging thanks to a 400V/800V architecture – a feature that enabled new Ioniq 5 owner Graham Board to “ruin” a recent family road trip from Melbourne to Adelaide and back.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model 3 and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.