The standard EV6 is already proving a success for Kia in a market that as recently as one year ago was still timid about EVs. The EV6 went on sale at the beginning of this year and racked up 14,284 sales through July. It uses Hyundai Motor Group‘s E-GMP architecture and shares a platform with Hyundai’s Ioniq 5.
While the base version of the EV6 uses a single motor, rear-drive layout with a 58-kilowatt-hour battery, the GT will use a larger 77.4 kWh battery and come in a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup.
That battery also appears on the two higher-end trims of the standard EV6. But the EV6 GT relies on a more powerful 160-kilowatt front motor and 70-kW rear motor.
The extra muscle siphons off some of the EV6’s battery range, not surprisingly. While the awd version of the EV6 gets 276 miles to a full charge, the EV6 GT drops to 206 miles. However, its 800-volt architecture replenishes 70 percent of its battery capacity in under 18 minutes when hooked up to a 350-volt DC fast charger.
The GT also has other performance-oriented changes, including a stiffer chassis, a sport suspension with electronically controlled dampers, and electronic limited-slip differential for traction and stability into turns.
It also gets larger ventilated front and rear disc brakes with monoblock four-piston calipers and Goodyear Eagle F1 tires with 21-inch wheels.
The EV6 GT will arrive at dealership lots in the fourth quarter. Pricing has not been announced.
