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The 2023 Kia EV6 GT isn’t just a crazy, in-your-face performance trim level. It is a shot across the frunk of every electric-vehicle manufacturer, including Tesla. With its $61,000 price and 576-horsepower all-wheel-drivetrain, the Kia EV6 GT states quite boldly that the heretofore “value brand” intends to be a global force to be reckoned with when it comes to engineering, manufacturing, and marketing EVs. It is a major step as Kia moves to execute its Plan S, the shift to battery-electric vehicles. And the best news is we had the chance to drive the Kia EV6 GT on both road and track outside Las Vegas. The experience gave us a special perspective on the car.
With the capability of rocketing from zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.4 seconds, the Kia EV6 GT has the performance to get people’s attention. But the market for a crossover EV with those credentials is untested and likely very limited. That isn’t the point, though. The car speaks volumes about the brand’s aspirations to be an essential builder of electric vehicles both now and in the future.
Its credentials are impressive. The 2023 Kia EV6 GT with dual-motor all-wheel-drive uses a 160 kW front-mounted electric motor and a 270 kW rear electric motor to produce a combined 576 horsepower and 545 lb-ft of torque. That’s plenty of horsepower even when squared off against a curb weight that bumps up toward 5,000 pounds. The weight is just one reason why its range on a charge is estimated at 206 miles. Host Jack Nerad, who drove the EV6 GT outside Las Vegas, will have much, much more on this car coming up, including an explanation of its hidden “superpower.”
In the other half of the road test segment, Co-Host Chris Teague will chronicle his experiences with the 2023 Toyota Tundra during the post-Christmas crunch in Maine. Bad weather and bad roads proved to be no match for the recently revamped Tundra, and Teague will offer even more coming up.
Leading the news this week is the announcement of the 2023 North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle of the Year. And we have special access through our exclusive interview with Gary Witzenburg, the president of the North American Car of the Year jury. Immediately after the awards ceremony, he sat down with our own Jack Nerad for an exclusive, in-depth interview on the vehicles that won the awards and the other finalists in what might have been the strongest field ever.
Also coming up in the news, we will examine one car company president’s assertion that the shift to electric vehicles will cause the overall car market to shrink. He predicts dire consequences, including major plant closures, if the transition to EVs gathers more steam and goes on unchecked. We’ll have the details.
Tough times continue for Tesla this week as well. The Texas-based automaker is cutting prices overseas as some markets contract and its market share declines. Tesla has slashed prices of the Model Y and Model 3 electric vehicles in China, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. Now the question is will we see lower Tesla prices here in the United States?
Also this week, General Motors asked the U.S. Treasury Department to take a second look at its Cadillac Lyriq because it believes the department has misclassified it in its new rules for tax incentives for electric vehicles, based on the Anti-Inflation Act. We’ll tell you more about the government’s latest fit of confusion, and we’ll have much more for you as well.
