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home > news > Automakers > Kia’s EV6 GT: the Most Powerful Kia Ever Built
The Kia EV6, the South Korean automaker’s newest EV, is looking to hunt down Ferraris and Lamborghinis with the new EV6 GT, a high-performance rendition of its newest electric vehicle.
Not to be confused with the EV6’s GT-Line, the new GT packs a considerable punch: 576 horsepower and 546 pound-feet of torque, a 0-60 mph time of 3.4 seconds, a top speed of 161 mph and 206 miles of range.
That’s fast. In fact, Kia says the EV6 is an AMCI-certified drag race winner against the Ferrari Roma and Lamborghini Huracan Evo. Then again, they use fossil fuel; the EV6 doesn’t. So, is it a fair fight?
Until now, the most-powerful EV6 offered provided 320 hp, 446 lb-ft of torque and 274 miles of range. But that changes for the 2023 model year.
Kia optimized the EV6’s 160-kW front motor, 270-kW rear motor, and 77.4-kWh battery for performance. The EV6’s battery pack is comprised of 80% nickel, 10% cobalt and 10% manganese.
And the high performance doesn’t come merely from discharging energy, it also applies to recharging it, as the EV6 GT has the industry’s first 800-volt multi-charging architecture that enables a DC recharge from 10% to 80% in less than 18 minutes at 350-kW chargers.
In addition to the usual Eco, Normal, Sport, and Snow drive modes found on other EV6 models, the GT also comes with GT Drive Mode, My Drive Mode and Drift Mode. GT Drive Mode sets the car to its sportiest settings, while My Drive Mode allows drivers to customize the car’s dynamic settings. Drift Mode allows drivers to distribute power to the rear wheels.
And Kia engineers made sure all that power was useable, designing a specific sport suspension with electronically controlled dampers and distinctive performance parts for the front suspension. By distributing torque to the wheels with the highest grip during turns, its electronic limited slip differential improves traction and stability. Fifteen-inch front and 14.2-inch rear disc brakes with monobloc calipers for improved brake feel augment the Z-rated Goodyear Eagle F1 tires on 21-inch alloy wheels.
To realize the EV6 GT’s revised wardrobe, designers were tapped at Kia Design in Seoul, Frankfurt, Germany and Irvine, California.
“The Stinger GT has been our performance flagship for the last few years. So, you have that short history to work with,” said Karim Habib, senior vice president and head of Design for Kia Motors, in an exclusive interview with TheDetroitBureau.com. “And for us, what we tried to do was to work with that and bring that into the EV era.”
As you might expect, the EV6 GT gets unique front and rear fascias, a rear spoiler and a diffuser to aid aerodynamics. Its exterior is finished in custom 21-inch alloy wheels with neon-accented brake calipers.
But that’s not all.
Inside, designers swathed the performance bucket seats in “vegan suede,” which are accented in GT monograms with green piping. In addition, the upper dashboard and front center armrest receive a striped design, while ambient lighting accents the center console and dashboard.
“We had this super long discussion as to what the highlight color should be,” Habib said. “You know, we have red today, and we’re known for red. Red has this thing about fire, heat and combustion engine era symbolism. We’re tweaking the color for it to try and symbolize something else. In a way, trying to talk to an audience and communicate the same thing, but speak the same values in a different era.”
Indeed. But if you want to experience Kia’s new era, you’ll have to wait until the fall, when it is expected to go on sale.
Kia did not announce pricing for the EV6 GT, which is expected closer to the vehicle’s launch.
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