[Axe77]

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

What the country needs is a Tiago EV, or a Nexon EV with a bigger battery pack. No other frills, no supercar specs, no self driving, no nonsense - big battery and a refined electric motor. Something Xpeng G3 that costs 16.5L, without the features that are aimed at Tesla. Sure the same safety features as that of other 10L cars, Airbags, ABS etc, but needs to be priced at 15L. Now that is a people's car that loads of Indians would buy.

But we actually already have that right? The Nexon EV Max / Nexon etc are already close to what you described above. Its only a matter of time before other manufacturers bring their products into that space.

Also, there is always a space for a broad spectrum of products ranging from mass market to exclusive and most manufacturers tend to follow a top down approach as they establish their brand and in the process test the waters as well. Hyundai’s first product in fact was the relatively more accessible, 25L Kona, much before Kia brought the much pricier EV6.

Anyway, this 100 unit launch is only a statement of Kia’s EV capability and brand enhancement. What is interesting to look forward to is what might follow in the coming years from the Korean twins in the pure EV space across a broader spectrum, hopefully via more localised routes and more realistic pricing.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by Axe77

But we actually already have that right? The Nexon EV Max / Nexon etc are already close to what you described above. Its only a matter of time before other manufacturers bring their products into that space.

The aspirational sweet spot for me is a 5 seater with 500km real world range for Rs10L.

[itwasntme]

Amazing! Hope this and the Ioniq are huge successes for the Kia-Hyundai combine in India.

Both look radically different inside and outside, which provides that much more choice to first buyers of such next-gen vehicles.

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

The aspirational sweet spot for me is a 5 seater with 500km real world range for Rs10L.

For 10 lakhs currently you don’t even get a non AMT auto petrol hatchback.
Honestly don’t think that aspiration will ever becoming a reality

[GTO]

Thanks for sharing, Jaggu & Khan_Sultan. Good to see the buddies from Bangalore having fun @ Buddh.

What an utterly desirable "halo" product for the Kia brand. Worldwide, Kia is known as a bargain-basement brand on a resurgence. But like Skoda (poor man's VW worldwide), Kia built its reputation in India on good cars = I have been mighty impressed by the Seltos, Sonet, Carens (especially), Carnival (especially) and now the EV6. Very muscle car-like design lines, nice interiors, fast performance. Looking forward to driving it in Mumbai .

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

The aspirational sweet spot for me is a 5 seater with 500km real world range for Rs10L.

No more off-topic posts here please. There are other threads to discuss mass-market cars.

[PrideRed]

Fantastic car! I somehow believe the EVs will change how we perceive a brand. KIA/Hyundai are putting money in right direction. The EV6 and Ioniq 5 will pull folks considering the luxury marquee. Brand vs future technology, I bet there are good chunk of folks will end up buying latter. EV6 looks like a fantastic package even at a price of 70L OTR. My only concern is this is CBU, availability of spares will be an issue and incase of failures how well trained the technicians are? With news of Ioniq 5 being CKD, I am keen on this and looks are to my taste.

[sunikkat]

With only 100 units in year 1, I doubt whether Kia will assign any test drive cars to dealers. Hope atleast they give one car per city.
Though I would never buy this (would prefer an ICE German for that money), definitely would want to experience the car. Mainly that insane pick up and push back to seats.

Originally Posted by Turbanator

For someone, who has not owned a German, the decision is easier as BMW being an aspirational brand will be the choice of many. But, for someone who has experienced EU cars, spending 60-70 on a Kia can be tough.
What will be the views of other members?

I am sure the 100 units will get sold, but believe it will be mostly bought by people who already have other luxury cars in their garage and want new technology and exclusivity. I don’t see many first time luxury car buyers going for this.

[Turbanator]

Very nice and crispy review. I got a chance to check one, in sort of hush-hush as dealerships were not allowed to show the cars. Looks very nice from the inside and even though the materials are mostly plastic, these look and feel better than what Germans are using these days (without upgrades).

Originally Posted by Jaggu

With the front seat pushed ahead, the rear passenger can stretch his legs and then, the under-thigh support is alright. But this is not a very comfortable position to sit in for long

What’s your feedback on the front seat? I sat for a very short duration but found it a tad small, more like a Toyota. Despite many controls, I did not find a thigh support extender.

Now, the very important question, who will buy? Honestly, I find it very funny when people write that can Indians afford a 70 Lac KIA, a lot can be said on this but will be OT. I will simply laugh over and tell them to wait until Kia publicises that they have sold all allocations.

Will I buy one? I am seriously considering adding an EV and had tried XC40, Taycan and now with Kia and upcoming i4, I think we have 3 cars around 60-80 lac. For someone, who has not owned a German, the decision is easier as BMW being an aspirational brand will be the choice of many. But, for someone who has experienced EU cars, spending 60-70 on a Kia can be tough.

What will be the views of other members? And what do you think about resales of EV more so, say an EV6 vs an i4?

[lordrayden]

Originally Posted by SR-71

The side profile seems to share a lot of similarity to the Cadillac Lyriq, wondering who was was influenced by whom!

Attachment 2312762

Some more similarities: The EV6's overall silhouette, the creases on the bonnet, the location of the air-dam's vertical elements and even the angle of that particular photo somehow gave me facelifted Baleno vibes. Just had to do some photo-shopping.



Don't think anyone was inspired by anyone else here, seem more of a co-incidence.

[TusharK]

Kia EV6 bookings open in India; launch in June 2022

Kia has started accepting bookings for the EV6 electric crossover in India. It is available at 15 dealerships across 12 cities and the booking amount has been set at Rs 3 lakh.



Kia initially plans to import 100 units via the CBU route. The car is available in a single GT Line trim. The official launch will take place next month.

The Kia EV6 is based on the Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). It comes with a permanent magnet synchronous motor and a 77.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that is said to offer a maximum range of 528 km (WLTP cycle). The battery supports ultra-fast charging, which adds 100 km of range in 4.5 minutes. It can be recharged from 10% to 80% in 18 minutes using a 350 kW fast charger, while a 50 kW fast charger takes 73 minutes.

In India, the EV6 is offered in single motor and dual-motor variants. The single motor RWD variant packs 226 BHP and 350 Nm, while the AWD version produces 321 BHP and 605 Nm.

The Kia EV6 comes equipped with LED headlamps with Adaptive Driving Beam and Connected LED tail lamps with sequential turn indicators. The car rides on 19-inch alloy wheels.

Inside, the EV6 gets panoramic dual 12.3-inch curved displays, a head-up display, a Meridian sound system with 14 speakers, an electric sunroof, seats that recline at a press of a button and cruise control with stop & go functionality.

[padmrajravi]

Great review. It had all the details one could ask for.

This has now replaced my dream of a BMW 3 series. The muscle car looks and performance that can smoke even supercars. If it comes in 60-70L, it will confuse many entry-level luxury marquee buyers. After all, you don't want to spend so much money and then get bullied by a Kia in a traffic signal race. The only problem is the limited availability of 100 units. So even if you want them, you may not get hold of one. Those 100 units will go to the VIPs mostly.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Very nice and crispy review.

Completely second that. This one had me totally hooked right from the time it was cooking up in Assembly Line. Brilliantly put together indeed Jaggu, Khan Sultan and Addy.

Now, the very important question, who will buy? Honestly, I find it very funny when people write that can Indians afford a 70 Lac KIA, a lot can be said on this but will be OT. I will simply laugh over and tell them to wait until Kia publicises that they have sold all allocations.

Will I buy one? I am seriously considering adding an EV and had tried XC40, Taycan and now with Kia and upcoming i4, I think we have 3 cars around 60-80 lac. For someone, who has not owned a German, the decision is easier as BMW being an aspirational brand will be the choice of many. But, for someone who has experienced EU cars, spending 60-70 on a Kia can be tough.

What will be the views of other members? And what do you think about resales of EV more so, say an EV6 vs an i4?

To address the questions you raised:

Will someone buy a Kia for (say) 60L - 70L.

I think the market has already crossed the point of maturity where buyers are willing to pay German car like money for non German / non luxury marquees. The Camry and Fortuner are two examples. One may say strong Toyota brand for those two examples, to which closer home, Kia too has established that POC to some extent via the Carnival.

If the product is specced right, built right, and priced (within reason) right, I think people will not reject it merely because its a Kia. Lack of direct luxury competition sometimes also helps.

If I was in the market today for an EV with a 60-70 lakh budget and my choices were the XC 40 Charge vs the EV6 / Ioniq, I would not pick the Volvo merely because its Volvo or reject the Kia / Hyundai merely because of the badge. I’d judge each on its individual merits. From images at least, I feel the Kia really hits the sweet spot on every metric that I value.

The back seat seems acceptably comfortable, the front for my small frame should be adequate, it has the right level of range, great luggage space with good modular flexibility and decent crossover spec ground clearance. The fact that it almost looks like a muscle car and has been very tastefully designed only strengthens its case.

The issue of course is that its just that tad bit pricey (specially in MH) being a CBU. If this was within 60L on road, I’d actively consider it if I was in the market and it ticked all other boxes right.

Resale

Hard to comment on this. These are niche products released in limited numbers at prices not palatable to everyone.
One way to look at this: the combination of these factors means there should at least be some demand for this in the used market as well given that units coming up for resale will be limited and the depreciated price at which these could hit the market might be more palatable to a slighter wider group set.

The counter argument is that the market is deepening and more offerings will come across a broader price range. If that is the case, buyers might have many more new car options as the market deepens and expensive initial offerings like an i4 would have to compete with a new offering like Kia EV6. Heck, even a 2 year old Kia EV6 may have to compete with a brand new Ioniq that might be meaningfully cheaper and substantially similar.

I think it’ll depend on product by product but this here sounds like the more real threat to expensive new EVs purchased in 2022/ 23.

[androdev]

I think Kia will sell these 100 cars in no time. It's an easy and very obvious choice for the well-heeled looking to add an EV flavour to their well-stocked garage. The stock will be sold out by the time discerning buyers/fence-sitters make up their mind.

Having said that it's not such an easy decision for those looking for their main car as it's difficult to rule out the product offerings from EU cars. It's best not to do any FOMO (fear of missing out) purchase and explore options with patience. Things will only get better when it comes to EV cars (not sure about the prices!!)

[GTO]

Kia won't want to sell over 100 cars and I doubt they can. In many big markets (e.g. USA), the EV6 has a waiting list and some dealers are selling it for ABOVE MSRP prices. In Australia, the car is apparently sold out until 2025 (1500 orders).

Considering the lack of options between the MG ZS EV and the luxury marques, all 100 allocations of the EV6 will be done for soon.

This is simply a "halo" / marketing product to add some more shine to the brand. It's not about sales numbers at all.

[Livnletcarsliv]

Kia has another blockbuster in its kitty with this EV6. I am sure it will be sold out within a few minutes/hours of opening the bookings.

Ionic (>95% of EV6) is no doubt the world car of the year. EV6 is a fantastic package. In fact, it gives the luxury brands a run for their innovation, creativity and capability. Now EQC/iX/F-Pace/I-Pace/EQS/E-Tron/eTron GT doesn't look worthy/exclusive at all.