Kia’s New Electric Crossover Design Detailed In 8 Pictures

While we wait on the juicy details of Kia’s first dedicated EV, let’s take a close look at its design

Kia’s first-ever dedicated battery electric vehicle will be the EV6 crossover. While it’s slated to debut globally later in March, the carmaker has already revealed its exterior and front cabin design. The EV6 follows Kia’s new design philosophy, ‘Opposites United’, which will feature on all future Kia models, not just its EVs.

Let’s take a closer look at the EV6 below:

The front fascia of the EV6 is distinctive from the current crop of Kia models. It has sleek headlamps with integrated LED daytime running lamps which contribute to its futuristic look. This lamp and grille layout, which Kia calls ‘Digital Tiger Face’ will feature on its EVs, as opposed to the usual ‘Tiger Nose Grille’ design. The air dam design features several shapes and sharp elements for optimised aerodynamics  to boost the EV’s range.

You can also spot the front camera housed in the narrow grille and the sensor panel on the air dam for the EV6’s advanced driver assist systems.

Around the back, Kia has opted for a sporty look with the sharp design of the boot lid. Its LED tail lamps rise up from the arches towards the rear windscreen, like an integrated spoiler, and span the width of the rear end. There’s also a roof spoiler joining the sloping roofline. The gloss black cladding that merges into the rear bumper offers a good contrast to the white exterior.

The EV6 crossover looks quite athletic in profile with the swept-back windscreen. Its window line rises upwards to meet the sloping roofline at the rear which makes for a tapered tail end. It has a rather clean design with only one notable character line between the muscular wheel arches. The EV6’s wheel design is sharp and aerodynamically optimised.

Kia seems to have skipped on a sunroof or a panoramic glass roof for the EV6. This angle also showcases how far the rear extends from the car’s C-pillar which should result in a spacious luggage area.

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The cabin looks futuristic with its details but quite conventional in its overall layout. It has a clean-looking dashboard with integrated displays at the top and AC vents underneath. Kia states that Hyundai Group’s new E-GMP (electric global modular platform) that underpins the EV6 offers increased cabin space with new ways to utilise it. Here, it seems to have a flat floor and the central console is not physically attached to the dashboard. This would open up more legroom in the front of the cabin but also allow the driver and front passenger to feel more connected. Also, Kia states it has created robust fabrics for the cabin using recycled plastics. 

It also features a large display that spans from the driver’s side to the central console, joining the digital gauge cluster and the infotainment screen which is angled towards the driver. The EV6 gets a new dual-tone two-spoke steering wheel inscribed with the new Kia logo which still has tactile controls in the form of buttons and switches. It also has an extra button, under the spokes, for switching drive modes. This suggests the EV6 should offer varied driving experiences, likely economical, optimised and sporty settings. 

In keeping with trends, Kia has reduced physical buttons for a more modern cabin experience. So it gets a sleek control panel under the central vents with haptic touch for the climate control and hot keys for the infotainment system. The only physical controls are the individual climate dials for each front occupant.

The EV6 has a two-tier central console tunnel. Most of the controls are on the upper deck which is at the same height as the front armrest. It houses vehicle controls such as the on/off button, the rotary dial for the drive select (reverse, neutral, drive) that has a central button to engage park, and buttons for the parking sensors, cameras, and auto hold function. At the front edge of this central tunnel, it features controls for the heated and ventilated seats.

From this angle, you can see that the bottom deck is simply for storage with two USB ports. The bottom storage unit possibly gets a wireless charging pad. 

We’ll have to wait until the EV6’s global premiere to get a look at the rest of the cabin design but the exterior is quite stunning. Kia is yet to reveal official details on the powertrain but it previously said the EV6, it’s first dedicated BEV, would offer a claimed range of over 500km with fast charging to top-up the battery in less than 20 minutes. We expect multiple variants of the EV6 with different battery packs and electric motor combinations once it is launched in various markets.

The Kia EV6 shares its underpinnings with the Hyundai Ioniq 5, also an electric crossover but with a distinctive design language. The Ioniq offers two different battery sizes, choice of all-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive, and a maximum claimed range of 500km. Expect the Kia crossover to boast similar specifications, including a charging system compatible with 350kW chargers for a 10-80 percent charge in around 18 minutes.