Few would have imagined that a South Korean automaker like Kia would be in contention, not only for some of the best Super Bowl ads ever aired on TV, but also for the World Car of the Year finals.
Just a few years ago, Kia was that bland Asian carmaker that was in cahoots with Hyundai and wanted to attract people to its side with affordable, bland, allegedly reliable cars. But gone are the days of the utterly uninteresting Kia Picanto, and hello to the world-domination strategy of having one of the freshest model ranges among all global automakers.
In the United States, for example, one cannot go wrong with quirky crossovers like the Soul, popular SUVs like the Telluride, and even passenger cars still punch above their weight class with models like the cool K5 or Stinger. Sure, the latter may be due to bow out soon but no worries, the carmaker has everyone covered – especially those who seek to take part in the electrified revolution, complete with hybrids, PHEVs, and EVs.
As far as the latter are concerned, for sure the main attraction right now is the EV6 instead of the Niro EV, even if the latter is cheaper ($39,550 versus $48,700 starting MSRPs) and it bodes well for the fun yet adventurous style promoted by the Seltos or Sportage SUVs. But, of course, you cannot compete with a 2023 World Car of the Year finalist like the Kia EV6 GT, can you?
As such, no wonder everyone is taking a higher interest in the fate of the battery-powered compact crossover SUV that rides on the Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP, which is shared with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and 6) as the company’s first dedicated EV. It will be followed by many more electrics, numbered from EV1 to EV9, but not before it has a chance to shine in GT form, complete with 800-volt charging, up to 577 hp, and a sprint to 62 mph in 3.5s on its way to a 260 kph (162 mph) top speed.
But what if the CUV allure is suddenly too bulky for someone’s sporty aspirations? Well, there is not much one could do in the real world but across the imaginative realm of digital car content creators just about anything is possible. As such, witness Vishnu Suresh, the self-taught concept artist behind the zephyr_designz moniker on social media, who now travels across the Shooting Brake CGI plains to create the digital Kia EV6 GT ‘X’ Shooting Brake 3D Concept.
As far as we can tell, the two-door Hot Hatch vibes are a consequence of the digital transformation, and the pixel master even wanted to give the South Korean EV some feisty Lambo vibes, as it is riding “on Lamborghini Huracan STO-inspired wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tires!” Well, should we give it our CGI hall pass, or not?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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