Kia Teases First Bespoke EV; Meet The EV6

Back in January, Kia teased nine new electric vehicles while also sharing a new EV nomenclature for these battery-electrics, which were set to be named EV1 to EV9. A few weeks later, Kia said it planned to launch 11 new EVs by 2026. Basically, the Korean automaker has thrown a ton of numbers at us over the last few weeks, but right now, all that matters is one: the all-new EV6.

Teased in a series of shadowy images, the EV6 is Kia’s first dedicated EV, the first to use the new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), and the first to introduce the new naming convention. Based on these teaser images, the EV6 is a car to get excited about. It’s possible that this could be the camouflaged Kia CV spotted not too long ago. While the teasers are shadowy, CarBuzz’s Photoshop artists have already been able to bring out some more detail as seen in the 1st image below.

Although it looks to be a reasonably practical crossover, the EV6 has many bold design details that we appreciate. A rounded hood sits above some really sleek headlight clusters bordered by individual LED lighting elements. Being an EV, there isn’t a traditional grille, just a slim cutout below the new Kia logo.

In the side silhouette, there are shades of the Ford Mustang Mach-E in the EV6’s proportions and with its coupe-like roofline, but the Kia differs with a dramatic taillight strip that extends and meets the rear wheel arch. In a section of the rear view, we can see this very thin light strip which seems to run the entire width of the car’s rear-end. Overall, it’s clear why this Kia represents a new design philosophy for the Korean marque.

“EV6 is the embodiment of both our brand purpose, ‘Movement that inspires’, and our new design philosophy,” said Karim Habib, Senior Vice President as well as the Head of Kia Global Design Center. “Our aim is to design the physical experience of our brand and to create bold, original, and inventive electric vehicles.”

Kia did not reveal any further technical details, but perhaps the Hyundai Ioniq 5 – which shares the E-GMP platform – provides some clues. That crossover produces up to 301 horsepower, is available with all-wheel drive, and can be quickly charged from zero to 90 percent in under 20 minutes.

We’ll know more closer to the EV6’s world premiere in the first quarter of 2021, which indicates that it will be fully revealed before the end of March.