Kia Australia says in spite of constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic the brand has subjected the all-new EV6 battery electric vehicle to a rigorous ride and handling program around regional Victoria prior to its official launch scheduled for later in the first quarter of 2022.
Around 500 units of the EV6 (in base and GT-Line trims) have been earmarked for Australia during 2022.
The allocation will be staggered throughout the year. The EV6 will be sold through the Kia dealer network and a fair allocation will be worked out.
More than 90% of the Kia dealer network is currently set up to sell and service EV6.
It will initially be introduced in Australia with the long-range (77.4 kWh) high-voltage battery pack only and offered in two grades; base in rear-wheel drive only (RWD) and GT-Line with RWD or all-wheel drive (AWD) options – the latter offering enhanced dynamic capability in even the most challenging conditions.
The performance ‘GT’ version of the EV6 with follow in late 2022 or early 2023.
Kia’s chief operating officer Damien Meredith says Australia’s local tuning program is an important process for the product range.
“Our local product team and Graeme Gambold, along with our colleagues in Namyang, have worked together to customise a product to best suit Australian roads and driving styles,” Meredith says.
“With the imminent arrival of our first EV6 variants, Sorento Hybrid, next-generation Niro and the much talked about performance EV6 GT variant, Kia will well and truly be making its mark on the electric vehicle offering available in Australia,” he says.
Kia Australia’s ride and handling rngineer,Graeme Gambold, who has localised the ride of more than 50 Kia models during the last 10 years, says he came away astonished by the performance of the EV6.
“I just love driving the Kia EV6, it’s a car that just wants corners. It is so engaging and so rewarding to drive,” Gambold says.
“Personally, as a chassis dynamist, I think the biggest part of that enjoyment is the width of the battery in the car. A typical ICE vehicle has an engine and a drivetrain that has a high centre of gravity but it’s all in the centre of the vehicle therefore it works like a moment in roll. But with a dedicated BEV, it has a big flat battery in it, so it has to lift the energy on the inside to actually upset the car, creating a very flat roll dynamic. This makes the EV6 feel very light, nimble and responsive.
“One of the things we are always tuning for in Australia is large body movements on country roads at 100kms per hour and that is always manifested with a high centre of gravity roll dynamic in conventional cars. Electric cars don’t have as much of that, they have a lot of vertical movement, because of the weight but they don’t have the lateral roll, so we can use that as a bit of a tuning tool,” he says.
Further details on local specifications for the EV6 will be announced during the Australian Open 2022.
