Kia EV6, First Korean Brand to Win 'European Car of the Year'... Recognized for Driving Range and Charging Speed

Beating Cupra Born, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and More

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] Kia's dedicated electric vehicle ‘EV6’ has been selected as the ‘2022 European Car of the Year (COTY).’ Kia became the first Korean brand ever to be crowned ‘European Car of the Year.’

Kia announced on the 1st that EV6 won the highest honor, European Car of the Year, at the ‘2022 European Car of the Year’ online awards ceremony held in Geneva, Switzerland on the 28th of last month (local time).

EV6 was chosen as the European Car of the Year, beating six competing vehicles that were also finalists: ▲Hyundai Motor Ioniq 5 ▲Cupra Born ▲Ford Mustang Mach-E ▲Peugeot 308 ▲Renault Megane E-Tech ▲?koda Enyaq iV.

The awards ceremony was conducted through expert judging and voting by a panel of 61 distinguished automotive journalists from 23 European countries.

Since its inception in 1964, the European Car of the Year has been regarded as one of the most prestigious automotive awards globally, alongside the United States’ ‘North American Car of the Year (NACTOY).’ It is a highly competitive award among leading global automakers, including European brands based in advanced automotive markets such as Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, as well as American and Japanese manufacturers.

Until now, Korean brands have won numerous prestigious global automotive awards, including the North American Car of the Year, but had not yet succeeded in winning the European Car of the Year. Kia had consistently been knocking on the door of the European Car of the Year with finalists such as the ▲2008 Ceed ▲2018 Stinger ▲2019 Ceed, and finally achieved the highest honor with the EV6.

The EV6 has received favorable evaluations in Europe for its top-level product qualities, including a differentiated design and spacious interior provided by a 2900mm wheelbase thanks to the dedicated electric vehicle platform E-GMP, a V2L function that supplies general power (220V) outside the vehicle, and an ultra-fast charging system capable of charging the battery from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes.

Since local sales began in earnest in October last year, a cumulative total of 11,302 units have been sold in Europe as of January, and prior to winning European Car of the Year, EV6 achieved remarkable success by winning awards such as ‘2022 Ireland Car of the Year,’ ‘2022 What Car? Awards Car of the Year,’ ‘2022 Germany Car of the Year Premium Category 1st Place,’ and ‘2021 Top Gear Crossover of the Year.’

Jung Won-jung, Head of Kia Europe, said, “We are honored that Kia has won the most prestigious European Car of the Year award for the first time ever with the EV6.” He added, “The EV6 is a dedicated electric vehicle developed completely from scratch with impressive driving range, ultra-fast charging, and spacious interior. It excitingly previews how Kia’s electric vehicle lineup will evolve going forward.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.