Kia is one of the very few carmakers in India that have tasted success since day one. Th carmaker has sold 4 lakh units in the domestic market and 1 lakh units in the export market in a span of 2.5 years. In addition to this, the demand for their cars only seem to incease. To keep up with the local and export demand, Kia will be ramping up the production capacity at its Ananthpur plant in Andra Pradesh. The plant is currently running at its full capacity with three shifts. Kia currently manufactures 4 products for India and export markets. These include the Seltos, Sonet, Carnival, and the recently launched Carens.
Kia India: upcoming launches
Kia has officially announced that pre-bookings for the EV6 will commence on 26 May. The EV6 will come to the country via the CBU route and we expect it to be priced above the ₹50 lakh mark. The EV could also come in multiple powertrains and trim options to choose from and the launch is expected to be in June. The new Kia EV6 brings along a long-range, zero-emissions powertrain, 800V ultra-fast charging, and a neat styling package to the crossover SUV market.
The 800V charging capability means EV6 can go from 10 to 80 % battery charge in just 18 minutes. Talking about the design aspect in particular, at the front, the DRLs display a sleek appearance. Moving inside the EV6, one of the major highlights of the EV6’s cabin is a curved high-definition audiovisual and navigation (AVN) screen. Extending from the steering wheel across to the center of the car, it displays an instrument cluster in front of the driver and infotainment and navigation above the center console. The EV6 offers buyers a choice of multiple electric powertrain configurations, including long-range (77.4 kWh) and standard-range (58.0 kWh) high-voltage battery packs.
The 2WD 77.4 kWh EV6 can travel over 510 kilometers on a single charge on the WLTP combined cycle. With a maximum 605 Nm torque available on the AWD version, the EV6 can accelerate from 0-to-100 km/h in 5.2 seconds. The 77.4 kWh battery pack is paired with a 168 kW (229PS) electric motor powering the rear wheels and for AWD models a 239 kW (325PS) electric motor powers the front and rear wheels. The 58.0 kWh EV6 can accelerate from 0-to-100 km/h in 6.2 seconds, with a maximum 605 Nm torque available on the AWD version.
The 58.0 kWh battery pack is paired with a 125 kW electric motor powering the rear wheels and for AWD models, a 173 kW electric motor powers the front and rear wheels. Equipped with 430kW dual motors, the EV6 GT turns the performance up a notch. With a peak 740Nm of torque, the AWD GT version accelerates from 0-to-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds and can reach a top speed of 260 km/h.