Kia's EV6 SUV named European Car of the Year, a Korean first

Kia EV6 [KIA]

Kia's EV6 SUV was named Car of the Year at the European Car of the Year awards, becoming the first Korean model to win the accolade.

No Korean car model had won the top prize until now. The automotive award started in 1964. Last year, the award went to Toyota's Yaris.

The EV6 won 279 points from the judges, the Renault Megane E-Tech Electric 265 points and the Hyundai Motor's Ioniq 5 261 points.

More than 60 models released last year competed for the prize, with seven models making the shortlist, including Ford's Mustang Mach-E, Peugeot's 308 and Skoda's Enyaq iV.

The judge panel includes 61 auto journalists from 23 countries.

"It is a great honor to have won the 2022 European car of the Year with the EV6, the first ever Kia to win this prestigious award," said Jeong Jason, President of Kia Europe.

"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 sporty-looking EV6 is able to drive 528 kilometers per charge on Europe's WLTP standards when running on a larger 77.4 kilowatt-hour battery. It can charge from 10 percent to 80 percent in 18 minutes.

A total of 11,302 EV6s have been sold in Europe through January since first being made available there in October.

"Excellent EV because of its fast charging and good range for the price," said one of the judges. "In comparison with the Hyundai, the EV6 offers less body roll, more playful handling and tighter steering. A bit sportier overall."

Kia's EV6 is part of the Korean carmaker's electric vehicle (EV) initiative to roll out a total of 11 EV models by 2026, seven of which will be designed from scratch for electric vehicles, just like the EV6, rather than being a modification of an existing internal combustion engine model.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]