Kia unveils its first fully electric vehicle

Kia said the vehicle, which uses a distinctive crossover-inspired design, “embodies its shifting focus” towards electrification. The car is based on the new 'Electric-Global Modular Platform' (E-GMP) architecture developed by Hyundai, which owns a minority stake in Kia.

The EV6 is a mid-sized car, although Kia plans to launch six further EVs by 2027, which leaves room for both compact SUVs, hatchbacks, saloons and larger SUVs.

“EV6, as the first dedicated Kia EV, is a showcase of human-centred, progressive design and electrified power,” said Karim Habib at Kia’s Global Design Centre.

“We strongly believe EV6 is a compelling and relevant model for the new EV market. With EV6 we aimed to create a distinctive, impactful design by using a combination of sophisticated, high-tech features on pure and rich volumes, while providing a unique space as a futuristic EV.”

While only pictures have been released thus far with little technical detail, specs for Hyundai’s E-GMP platform, on which the EV6 is based, came to light last year. This should mean the vehicle will have 800v hardware for superfast charging speeds allowing it to get from 10 to 80 per cent capacity in 18 minutes.

According to Autocar, EV6 is expected to accommodate a 72.6kWh battery pack that should give it a range of around 310 miles, around 50 miles less than Tesla’s popular Model 3.

It comes as little surprise that Kia is developing EV technology, with many other firms in the automotive sector ramping up production in the coming decade and pledging to move away from traditional combustion engine cars.

In just the last few months, Ford has committed to only selling EVs in Europe from 2030; Jaguar has said it will stop building fossil-fuel powered vehicles by 2025, and LG announced a $4.5bn (£3.2bn) investment in its US battery production business.

More technical details about the vehicle are to be released by Kia later this month.