2022 Kia EV6: Right Down Broadway

New York City’s Times Square might be one of the most electrified places on the planet.

The place is festooned with electronic billboards and advertisements that run pretty much 24/7/365.

What better place for the unveiling of the 2022 Kia EV6?

We initially thought we’d see the car earlier this spring, but better late than never. Both the EV6 and EV6 GT were shown in Times Square, with the event being broadcast online around the world.

We’ve covered a lot of the highlights before, especially concerning the GT, but here’s a quick refresher for those too lazy to click the links.

The car — which Kia calls a crossover — rides on a platform called Electric-Global Modular (E-GMP) and has either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel-drive with dual motors. An 800V system is capable of charging from 10 percent to 80 percent (up to 210 miles of range) in 18 minutes via a DC fast charger. Kia promises a maximum range of up to 300 miles from the available 77.4-kWh lithium-ion battery. Level 2 charging for the 77.4-kWh battery will take 7 hours or so using the onboard charger

The wheelbase is equal to that of the brand’s popular Telluride three-row SUV and the car has a flat-floor design. GT models will make 576 horsepower and are targeting a 0-60 run of 3.5 seconds.

Some versions will come with a 58-kWh lithium-ion battery, instead. Horsepower on non-GT models is listed at 167 with the smaller battery and RWD, 218 with RWD and the larger battery, and 313 for AWD/dual-motor cars with the bigger battery.

Wheel sizes are 19-, 20-, or 21-inches.

As is often the case with EVs, brands want to show off tech that goes beyond the drivetrain. In this case, Kia is touting the car’s ability to power mobile devices and an augmented-reality head-up display that can present 3D images on the windshield. Oh, and the usual driver-assist tech, of course.

Fifteen-hundred First Edition models will be available for reservation on June 3, offering several key upgrades and optional features, including 20-inch wheels, premium audio, satellite radio, the AR head-up display, badging with the production number, and remote parking assist. These cars will be AWD.

The EV6 (don’t make a heart in a blender reference, don’t make a heart in a…) is a sleek little thing, and interesting styling cues include sequential headlights, flush door handles, a deck that also serves as a spoiler, and a rear cluster that spans the width of the car (I believe a certain staffer calls that heckblende).

Other key elements include the news that the E-GMP platform is rear-drive biased, a five-link rear suspension, a structure that is 75 percent high-strength or ultra-high-strength steel, an integrated drive axle (which Kia claims is a world first), and underfloor mounting for the battery.

An EV press release wouldn’t be complete without a reference to vegan interior materials and recycled plastics, and those things are available.

More from the features list: Hands-free power tailgate, dual infotainment screens, Bluetooth, wireless cell-phone charging, UVO infotainment, an in-car payment system for use with retail stores, Wi-Fi, smart navigation, smartwatch syncing, weather information, last-mile navigation for on-foot directions, smart speaker integration, and voice controls.

Available driver-assist tech includes 360-degree camera, parking-collision avoidance, rear-occupant alert, blind-spot assist, safe-exit assist, driver-attention warning, forward-collision avoidance (including variants for pedestrian, lane-change, and intersection collision-avoidance), high-beam assist, a system that allows for highway following, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance, and speed-limit assist.

Expect most models to reach dealers by early next year, with the GT arriving in late 2022.

[Images: Kia]