EV6: Kia’s 1st Electric SUV Will Launch In India On This Date, Price Rs 50 Lakh? Hyundai’s Electric SUV IONIQ 5 Launch Confirmed

Kia EV6 and Hyundai IONIQ 5 flagship EV crossovers are all set to arrive in India. It is in the first half of May 2022 that Kia EV6 crossover will make its way to India, while the Hyundai IONIQ 5 will launch in late October 2022.

Kia EV6 a CBU, IONIQ 5 a Locally Assembled Car

As far as manufacturing is concerned, Kia model will, at the start begin as a CBU (completely built import). Whereas the IONIQ 5 which will roll out of the Hyundai’s Chennai plant will be a locally assembled car. This also implies that the price positioning of the two will be entirely different.

Sources confirmed that the decision is intentional and strategy driven as both the brands are strategically different. The IONIQ 5 will be priced at ? 35-40 lakh whereas the EV6 shall go up to ? 50 lakh.

Just like the phased rollout of Mercedes Benz, Kia shall also plan to have these phased rollouts. By phased rollouts we mean that the first crossover will be an all-in, fully loaded, top-spec, imported CBU variant & gradually the company will shift to the CKD (completely knocked down) kits for locally assembling the EV6 (likely only in 2023).

Even though the Kia EV6 may debut in May, bookings as well as deliveries will likely be further staggered between then and Diwali.

Specifications

At the start itself a range topper shall be launched which will be a GT-Line variant with dual e-AWD and the longer range 77.4 kWh battery giving an output of 320 bhp and offering 605 Nm of peak torque. This car will have an e-AWD (all-wheel drive), which means that for each axle there will be a separate motor. The driving range of the same shall be around 425 kms.

While the drivetrains shall be different for Hyundai IONIQ 5, but the focus for India will be on the locally assembled variant, likely to come with the 58 kWh battery. This rear wheel drive variant makes 168 bhp and 350 Nm of peak torque. It has a drive range of 384 kms and a single 125 kW motor.

As a part of a limited volume import, Hyundai may also bring its higher spec 72.6 kWh battery variant which has the same credentials to the EV6’s powertrain mentioned above. However, it is around the more competitively prices locally assembled model, that the strategy is conceived. Most likely Hyundai will bring its higher spec 72.6 kWh battery variant as a limited volume import.

The Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) onslaught on electric vehicles (EVs) worldwide has been led by these two that have become flagships for their individual brands. The Genesis brand has the GV60 to play that role. But all these cars are built on HMG’s progressive new E-GMP skateboard platform. The modular electric architecture will spawn a multitude of EVs for all three brands in various sizes and body styles going forward. Even the mass-market SUV that Hyundai has purportedly been working on for markets like India is likely to emerge from an E-GMP base.

Kia is yet to cement a strategy around EV. On the other hand, Hyundai is all set to launch 6 new battery electric vehicles in India by 2028. An investment of Rs 4000 crore has been earmarked for the same. Like crossover, SUV, and hatchbacks, the EVs will be introduced across segments.