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Kia releases official specs for US-market EV6 electric crossover

In March, Kia teased us with some exterior and interior images of the EV6 electric crossover, the automaker’s first dedicated (that is, not adapted from a legacy vehicle) EV. Now the automaker’s American division has confirmed official specs for the version destined for the US market.

The EV6 will be available with two powertrain configurations and two battery pack options. The rear-wheel-drive version has a 160 kW rear motor, and the dual-motor AWD version adds a 70 kW motor to the front axle. The RWD variant will offer either a 58 or 77.4 kWh battery pack. The AWD variant comes with the 77.4 kWh pack, cranks out a total of 313 hp, and does 0-60 in 5.1 seconds. Maximum range is expected to be up to 300 miles.

There will also be a performance variant, the GT, with a feisty 576 total hp and a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds. (In case you’re comparison shopping, that’s equivalent to the times boasted by the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition and the Tesla Model Y Performance.)

DC fast charging will offer power levels of up to 350 kilowatts. The newest hot feature for EVs is a power export capability—it’s expected to be available on Tesla’s Cybertruck and Ford’s F-150 Lightning, and Nissan claims to offer the feature on Leafs sold in Japan. The EV6’s vehicle-to-load function turns the crossover into a 1,900-watt mobile generator, enough to power tools, camping gear or maybe even your fridge in a power outage.

Kia says the 2022 EV6 will arrive at US dealerships in early 2022, and the souped-up GT version later in the year. Car and Driver expects the new crossover to start around $45,000, or around $55,000 for the GT version.

More plug-in Kias are on the way—the company says it will bring 11 new electrified models to global markets by 2026.

Sources: Kia, Car and Driver, The Drive

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