Kia America had a strong showing in the United States in February 2022, with the South Korean automaker selling 49,182 vehicles last month. That represents a 2.3 percent increase compared to its sales numbers during the same period in 2021. Powering Kia's surge in sales in America is the company's all-new Kia EV6 model.
The electric vehicle has proven to be a hit among American consumers, with 2,125 Kia EV6 units sold right away in the model's first month of availability. That is a solid debut for the Kia EV6 in the U.S., with its sales there accounting for 4.3 percent of the carmaker's total volume.
Kia's electrification in the U.S. is showing no signs of slowing down with the launch of the EV6, with the South Korean manufacturer announcing that February 2022 is the new record month for sales of battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and hybrid electric vehicles. According to Kia America, the share of xEVs last month amounted to 13 percent (around 6,400 vehicles).
In February of this year, the sales of Kia's EV models shattered the previous monthly record set in September 2021, beating that mark with a massive 181 percent increase. Also boosting the carmaker's EV numbers last month was the solid sales performance of the Kia Niro. The sales of Kia's Niro line of electrified crossovers was up 40 percent compared to the model's record February sales total that it set back in 2017.
The 2022 Kia EV6 is the automaker's first dedicated electric vehicle. Kia built this magnificent crossover on the same Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) that will underpin the company's future electric vehicles.
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The Kia EV6 boasts of quick charging rates thanks to the car's 800-volt architecture. Owners can charge the battery of the Kia EV6 from 10 to 80 percent in just 18 minutes if the electric vehicle is plugged into a 350-kW fast charger. Kia's 11-kW onboard charger is expected to refill the EV6's battery from 10 to 100 percent in seven hours when it is hooked up to a Level 2 outlet.
The Kia EV6 offers two different batteries and can be configured with either rear- or all-wheel drive. The smaller, standard 58.0-kWh battery pack has an EPA-rated range of 232 miles, while the larger, long-range 77.4-kWh battery pack is EPA-rated at up to 310 miles.
All-wheel-drive models of the Kia EV6 use the larger battery pack, which can generate either 320 or 576 horsepower. The latter comes from Kia's range-topping EV6 GT, which can go from 0 to 60mph in just under 3.5 seconds.
The base rear-drive example of the Kia EV6 possesses a smaller battery which produces just 167 horsepower. Owners can boost the performance of the rear-drive EV6 by choosing a bigger battery for that vehicle, increasing the total system output to 225 horsepower.
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