Kia’s first e-car in India EV6 price similar to BMW EV!

Kia is testing India’s electric vehicle (EV) market with a premium offering, the EV6, but will this strategy work for a car that could carry a price tag of Rs 60 lakh, which is almost close to BMW’s electric i4?

When Hyundai India had rolled out its electric Kona in 2019, Kia did not drive in its sister car, the Niro EV. But now, it wants to test the EV market in India, perhaps with not the best offering in terms of price.

Kia EV6 e-car -- Source: Cartoq.

Kia’s flagship model, the EV6, is built on the firm’s Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), which is shared with Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 e-car that is slated for launch in India this year.

The Kia EV6 may be priced at Rs 60 lakh (Rs 6 million) for the entry-level RWD version.

However, the top variant, the AWD, will come for around Rs 65 lakh (Rs 6.5 million). Kia will officially reveal the price of the new EV6 on June 2.

The speculated price is similar to the BMW i4 EV, whose price was recently announced in India. So, at that price point, Indian car buyers would rather flock for a BMW than a Kia.

Kia will bring in only 100 units of the new EV6 to the Indian market in the initial phase. The company claims it has got around 300 bookings already.

This plan to bring in only 100 units may be because of production bottlenecks: Kia’s existing internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles like the Seltos and the Carens already have quite a few months of waiting period.

Even while not revealing the price, Kia has started accepting bookings for the EV6 and customers would be left in the lurch if they cancel their bookings.

Kia is charging Rs 3 lakh (Rs 300,000) for every booking. So, if a customer, who has booked an EV6, is dissatisfied with the pricing (after it is announced on June 2), he can cancel the booking only after paying a hefty fine of Rs 50,000.

The EV6 will be available at 15 dealerships in 12 cities across the country.

Kia will begin deliveries of the new EV6 AWD from September but those who book the RWD variant will have to wait up to December.

The South Korean major sells the EV6 in many global markets and Kia will get it to India as a completely-built unit or CBU.

The Kia EV6 has a 77.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack that comes with a maximum range of 528 km as per WLTP standard.

This battery is capable of fast charging, which can add 100 km of extra distance by charging for less than 5 minutes.

You can charge the battery up to 80 per cent with the 350kW fast charger in less than 20 minutes. With a 50kW charger, charging up to 80 per cent takes just over an hour.

According to Kia, the EV6 can reach 100 km an hour in just 3.5 seconds. Wait a feat, if the claim is true!

The RWD single motor unit packs a punch with 225 bhp and 350 Nm. In the case of the AWD variant, the figures are much better, that is, 321 bhp and 605 Nm.

If you take a cursory look at the EV6’s exterior, you get a feeling that it is somewhat a mix of an SUV and a hatchback.

The EV6 is feature rich with ventilated seats, 360-degree camera, wireless charging, a wireless phone charger, USB at the front and rear as well as a three-pin AC power outlet below the rear seats to charge your laptop.

Sound is via a 14-speaker Meridian system and the EV also has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, although through wired connection only.

EV6 may be packed with a range of safety features like Eight Airbags, all-wheel Disc Brakes, ABS, Brake Assist, ESC, Hill-Start Assist Control and Multi-Collision Brake Assist.

So, with the price of the Kia EV6 likely to be Rs 60 lakh (Rs 6 million) onwards, many buyers would rather opt for a tested luxury car like the i4 EV from the BMW stable instead of the Korean car.