The all-new Kia EV6 electric crossover has been voted ‘2022 German Car of the Year’ in the ‘Premium’ category of the ‘German Car of the Year’ (GCOTY) awards. The prestigious accolade comes at a time when the innovative crossover continues to make its highly anticipated debut around the world. The EV6 fought off competition from a series of contenders to take the top honor, with the innovative crossover beating a diverse set of rivals that included the Hyundai IONIQ 5, Volkswagen ID.4, Audi Q4 e-tron and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, among others. A jury consisting of 20 automotive journalists evaluated new models with a base price of between 25,000 and 50,000 euros to determine the overall category winner.
“The EV6 is not only the first Kia based on our new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), it’s also the first car that incorporates our new and bold Opposites United design philosophy as well as the all-new company logo,” said Luc Donckerwolke, Chief Creative Officer at Hyundai Motor Group. “The EV6’s emotional design, dynamic performance, impressive driving range and ultra-fast charging capabilities truly mark it out as something special. We are proud to receive the German Car of the Year’s Premium award that acknowledges the brilliant work of our dynamic Kia team.”
In addition to the three main categories that included ‘Compact’, for vehicles priced under 25,000 euros, ‘Premium’, for vehicles priced between 25,000 and 50,000 euros, and ‘Luxury’, for vehicles priced over 50,000 euros, the competition also included an additional ‘New Energy’ category, which represented electric vehicles powered solely by batteries or hydrogen. The Kia EV6 ranked highly in this category by coming second, just behind the category winner Hyundai IONIQ 5.
“It’s fantastic to see the EV6 win the ‘2022 German Premium Car of the Year’ award,” said Jason Jeong, President at Kia Europe. “While the first deliveries of our innovative electric crossover have only just begun, this honor is clear recognition that the EV6 is already setting new standards for driving range, performance, interior space and technology.”
The all-new Kia EV6 brings long-range, zero-emissions power, 800V ultra-fast charging and distinctive styling to the crossover SUV market. The EV6 enables the vehicle to achieve up to 528 kilometers of driving range from a single charge on the WLTP combined cycle, while advanced 800V charging technology means drivers can charge from 10 to 80 percent in just 18 minutes. The EV6 also is the first dedicated BEV produced by Kia using the all-new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), and forms the first part of Kia’s transition to the new era of electrification under the new brand slogan, ‘Movement that inspires’. Kia, under its ‘Plan S’ strategy, plans to introduce 11 EV models in total by 2026 including seven dedicated BEVs based on E-GMP. Available in both rear-wheel and all-wheel drive configurations, customers can choose between long-range (77.4 kWh) and standard-range (58.0 kWh) high-voltage battery packs. The 77.4 kWh battery pack is paired with a 168 kW (229ps) electric motor powering the rear wheels, while AWD models featuring two electric motors can produce a total of 239kW (325ps). A performance oriented all-wheel drive EV6 GT featuring 430 kW (585hp) and the ability to accelerate to 100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds will go on sale at the end of 2022. The 58.0 kWh battery pack is paired with a 125kW electric motor powering the rear wheels, while AWD models featuring two electric motors can produce a combined 173kW (235ps).