#KiaEV6

The Kia EV9 is just hitting the streets, but we’re already learning about the automaker’s “next big thing.” Motor 1 located an application on China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) website that covers a new EV called the EV5, a small crossover with the brand’s signature funky styling.

Kia recently announced plans to develop new hybrid and plug-in hybrid models to help it cope with wavering EV demand, but that hasn’t stopped the automaker’s trudge toward full electrification. In fact, Kia’s CEO said the company was pushing forward with plans to release an affordable electric car called the EV3.

The Kia Stinger lived a bright but shockingly brief life, but it appears the automaker may have a replacement lined up with its move to electric vehicles. A recent report from Korea claims that Kia is working on the Stinger’s replacement, noting that the car will move to electrification with its new form.

Nearly 600 horsepower in any vehicle can do a lot to make a person happy. Nearly 600 horsepower in a silent EV with instant torque can make a person feel like they’ve ingested a bunch of amphetamines.

Tesla may sell more EVs than any other American company, but its real asset is its charging network. The automaker’s Superchargers are among the most reliable and intuitive chargers anywhere, and other companies are lining up to join the party. Kia is one major automaker signing on to Tesla’s Supercharger network, and the company recently announced that the EV6 would be the first to get the EV maker’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug.

A younger, less informed version of myself was a bit scared that once EVs took over the market, we’d all be sentenced to driving boring machines that silently whisked us from place to place but offered no soul, no character, no fun.

The Kia EV6 just landed last year, and the three-row EV9 is on its way for 2024, but there’s already another electrified Kia to discuss. The automaker recently hosted an event in China, during which it showed the EV5 concept. The ultra-futuristic-looking two-row SUV could be sold here, as its tidy Sportage-like dimensions would make an appropriate foil for the larger EV9.

Kia’s continual improvements are getting noticed by Wards Auto.

I got my first, in-person taste of the upcoming Kia EV6 this past weekend in Irvine, California. It was a beautiful 77-degree day spent amid rolling hills under blue, sunny skies – even the people I met were wonderful. They were tanned, attractive, “California” people who were cheerful and engaging. No matter what California sent to distract me, though, my eyes kept turning back to the EV6.

There’s simply no escaping it. The Kia EV6, especially in the matte metallic gray finish, is an incredibly good-looking car.

Kia has issued a kind of extended teaser for the all-electric EV6, with the latest example giving us a fairly comprehensive look at the more extravagant version. The EV6 GT will be a swift and squat crossover (or perhaps portly hatchback?) using the E-GMP architecture that currently underpins the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and several more dedicated electric vehicles South Korea has yet to put into production.

That makes the EV6 an incredibly important model for Kia and the Hyundai Motor Group as a whole. Fortunately, the manufacturer seems eager to make a good first impression — which is probably why it led with the 576 horsepower, GT trimmed model.

Kia is planning on launching the EV6 sometime this month, and as a tease, the brand dropped some images to go along with a bunch of marketing speak about design philosophy.

The company is using the phrase “Opposites United” to describe its overarching design philosophy, and for the EV6, it will use five “pillars” called “bold for nature”, “joy for reason”, “power to progress”, “technology for life”, and “tension for serenity.”

On Monday, Kia teased its first all-electric model and gave us the nomenclature that will be used for all upcoming battery-driven products. While perhaps not as creative as giving its cars real names, as one would with anything they truly loved, the Korean-based automaker has settled upon the tried-and-true method of giving its units alphanumeric designations with the EV prefix.

It’s similar to the naming strategies employed by other manufacturers, many of which originally envisioned battery electric vehicles as part of their own brand, with Kia having the presumed advantage of using the two letters most synonymous with electrification.