Kia’s supercar-slaying EV6 GT electric car is still a long way from Australian showrooms, with the brand’s local arm confirming production for our market won’t commence until the second half of 2022.
Speaking with CarExpert, a Kia Australia spokesperson said the rollout would commence with non-performance EV6 models during the first half of next year, with the EV6 GT to follow.
It’s a staggered launch schedule that should be reflected globally, though markets such as Europe have already started receiving the non-performance models.
With production not due to commence until the tail end of 2022, the first Australian examples of the EV6 GT may not hit dealers until very late next year or even the year after – 2023 Australian Open as the launchpad, perhaps?
Regardless, we know the EV6 GT will be capable of pretty serious performance when it eventually does arrive.
The dual-motor electric drive setup has outputs of 430kW and 740Nm, and is hooked up to a 77.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Kia is ‘expecting’ a 0-100 sprint time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 260km/h.
Targeted driving range is 405 kilometres on the stricter WLTP test cycle.
As a reference, the current Audi RS6 packs 441kW and 800Nm from its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine, hitting 100km/h from a standstill in a claimed 3.6 seconds on its way to a restricted top speed of 280km/h (305km/h optional).
While the EV6 GT is likely to be the most expensive Kia ever to be sold in Australia, we’d wager it should still comfortably undercut the RS6 Avant’s $216,000 asking price.
It’s also worth noting the Tesla Model 3 Performance quotes similar performance figures – 3.3 seconds to 100km/h, 261km/h top speed – and retails for $84,900 plus on-road costs. Further, its 567km claimed range is quite a bit more than the Kia’s.
Even the upcoming Model Y Performance quotes a 3.7-second sprint to triple figures and an estimated driving range of 480km – though Australian launch timing and pricing is still to be confirmed.
Stay tuned to CarExpert for all the latest.
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