Kia Corporation has unveiled the first official teasers for the EV6, its first dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV) that incorporates the new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). Last year, Hyundai Motor Group announced the E-GMP, an innovative program representing the next-generation lineups’ core technologies and development. In January, Kia updated its brand and revealed a new slogan to shift its business operations towards sustainable mobility services.
According to Kia’s report, the EV6 is a sport utility vehicle built on Kia’s next-generation dedicated E-GMP. Importantly, Kia developers demonstrated the company’s new design philosophy through the EV6 SUV. They also designed the new model to represent and embody Kia’s comprehensive shift towards electrification. EV6 is the first model Kia introduced under Plan S, a strategy targeting to release an 11-BEV lineup by 2025.
“EV6 is the embodiment of both our brand purpose, ‘Movement that inspires,’ and our new design philosophy,” said Karim Habib, Kia Global Design Center’s Senior VP. “Our aim is to design the physical experience of our brand and to create bold, original, and inventive electric vehicles.” Habib also stated that Kia design the EV6 to inspire customers and offer natural and instinctive driving experiences. By providing a simple and integrated user ownership, Kia helps improve customers’ daily driving operations.
Kia’s BEV Strategies
In line with Kia’s brand transformations, the automaker would name upcoming dedicated BEVs according to a new labeling strategy. Kia offers simplicity and uniformity to its EV naming system throughout its global operations in the new labeling strategy. To provide easy BEV identification to customers, Kia will name new EV models starting with the prefix ‘EV.’
Kia’s new naming system helps customers pinpoint which of the auto manufacturer’s models are fully electric. Following the ‘EV’ prefix, Kia will include a number corresponding to the model’s placement in the lineup.
Moreover, the EV6 has a similar dedicated BEV platform with the newly released IONIQ 5, which Kia unveiled this February.
In a virtual launch, Kia introduced the IONIQ 5, an all-electric crossover utility vehicle promoting sustainability and innovation. The South Korean automotive manufacturer will release Kia EV6’s full design and further details on March 15. In addition to the full design unveiling, Kia announced it would conduct EV6’s world premiere during 2021’s first quarter.
