2022 Kia EV6 GT details – 585 PS, 740 Nm, 0-100 in 3.5s, 260 km/h, e-LSD, 10-80% fast charging in 18 min

Kia has revealed more details about its high performance EV6 GT fully electric crossover. The numbers, however, are closer to what you’d expect from a Porsche rather than a Kia. Ready? How about 585 PS, 740 Nm, 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds, and a top speed of 260 km/h? Ok, the last one isn’t mind blowing, but for an EV, that’s higher than most.

Scheduled to go on sale later this year, the EV6 GT will be the carmaker’s most powerful model yet, while sharing the same badging as the Stinger GT. Power comes from an uprated dual-motor setup, with a 217 PS motor driving the front axle and a larger 367 PS rear motor.

With its 800-volt electrical architecture as part of its E-GMP platform, the EV6 GT takes ultra-fast DC charging of up to 350 kW, which can charge its battery from 10-80% as quickly as 18 minutes. Total range is 420 km, with its long range 77.4 kWh battery.

For the EV6 GT, a dedicated, button-activated GT drive mode optimises the drive motors, braking, steering, suspension, electronic LSD and stability control for a stronger performance slant. The adjustable e-LSD has the ability to divert power to all corners, when needed.

The E-GMP dedicated EV platform “is a fantastic base to start with” for a performance vehicle, said Albert Biermann in an Autocar report, because “it didn’t need fundamental changes because it can handle this level of power.”

Biermann, former head of research and development at Hyundai Motor Group, now serving as executive technical advisor said that development for the top version was carried out entirely in-house, once Kia’s engineers realised the possibilities of the base architecture that underpins the EV6.

The engineers at Kia added extra control arms to the front suspension in order to give the system more freedom, as well as perform a special tune on the steering and adaptive dampers; the focus was on balancing performance with high-speed comfort, Autocar noted.

The commonality between the E-GMP platform-sharing models means that the uprated motors and performance revisions will also be applied to the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, though Biermann insists that the freedom offered by the platform also means that both cars will have very different characteristics. In fact, it’s said that the high-performance version of the Ioniq 5 will take a more hardcore approach.

“If you want to have something comparable with the GT spirit like this car, you’d have to spend more than twice the money. So you can have one EV6 GT for the week in grey, and then one in a bright colour for the weekend,” joked the former BMW M turned Hyundai N boss. So, a Kia-badged cut-price Porsche Taycan, anyone?

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