The all-new Kia EV6 has been crowned the Car of the Year for 2022 at the European Car of the Year (COTY) awards by a panel comprising 61 renowned automotive journalists from 23 countries.
It was originally nominated for the top award among over 60 other vehicles that debuted in 2021. The COTY judges had narrowed the entrants to a seven-strong shortlist in November 2021, six of which were electric vehicles (EVs), which showed the popularity and rising demand for EVs as society switches to an advanced paradigm of transportation.
After it was shortlisted, the EV6 surpassed Hyundai IONIQ 5, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Skoda Enyaq iV, Cupra Born, Renault Mégane E-Tech, and Peugeot 308 to win the coveted title.
The President of Kia Europe, Jason Jeong, remarked,
It’s a great honour to have won the 2022 European Car of the Year with the EV6, the first-ever Kia to win this prestigious award. The EV6 is truly a landmark development that’s been designed from the outset to make electric mobility fun, convenient and accessible by combining a highly impressive real-world driving range, ultra-fast charging capabilities, a spacious high-tech interior, and a truly rewarding driving experience. The EV6 is an exciting sign of what’s still to come in our evolving electrified line-up.
What Makes EV6 So Special?
Kia’s EV6 is the company’s first purely electric vehicle built on its Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). Its high-tech architecture proves that it minimizes many challenges to EVs built on platforms that were originally meant for internal combustion engines.
The crossover offers class-leading interior space, an outstanding 528 km driving range, and 800V ultra-fast charging functionality that allows charging from 10 percent to 80 percent in just 18 minutes with its E-GMP underpinnings.
Kia EV6 Inspiration
EV6 was the first international vehicle to use Kia’s new design concept ‘Opposites United,’ which is inspired by the differences in nature and mankind. It is based on a new visual identity that has contrasting blends of strong stylistic components and sculptural shapes at the heart of its design concept that reflects positive powers and natural energy.
Awards
Since its debut in 2021, EV6 has won a number of prestigious internationally renowned awards, including the 2022 European Car of the Year award. It recently bagged the 2022 Irish Car of the Year and 2022 What Car? ‘Car of the Year’ awards.
EV6’s other accolades include TopGear.com 2021 ‘Crossover of the Year,’ and the ‘Premium’ position in the German Car of the Year 2022 awards. It was also a co-winner of the inaugural ‘Best Cars of the Year’ award for 2021 and 2022.
Kia plans to launch seven specialized electric vehicles by 2026, the first of which is EV6. This all-electric crossover will be crucial to its goal of pioneering sustainable mobility solutions worldwide.
Via automobilsport
