Kia EV6 Wins 2022 European Car of the Year Title, 1st Win for the Brand with Their Electric Crossover

• Kia's EV6, an all-electric, high-tech crossover, claimed one of the world’s most prestigious automotive awards at a ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland
• The EV6 trumped cars such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Škoda Enyaq iV, Cupra Born, Renault Mégane E-Tech and Peugeot 308 – to take the title
• Developed on dedicated electric vehicle architecture, and boasts a claimed range of  528km on a single charge; it takes just 18 minutes to charge the advanced battery from 10-80%
• The EV6 is the third pure electric vehicle to win the coveted award and indicates how far EV technology has progressed

The all-new Kia EV6 has been named the 2022 Car of the Year in the prestigious European Car of the Year (COTY) awards, the first Kia to win the award. The 61-member jury, made up of motoring journalists from 23 countries, selected the winner from seven models that had made it to the round of finalists in the first voting last November. With the trophy for "The Car of the Year", the Kia EV6 wins the most prestigious and coveted award in the automotive world, presented since 1964.

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The voting results of the seven finalists of "The Car of the Year" 2022 were as follows: Kia EV6 - 279 points, Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric - 265 points, Hyundai Ioniq 5 - 261 points, Peugeot 308 - 191 points, Skoda Enyaq iV - 185 points, Ford Mustang Mach-E - 150 points and Cupra Born - 144 points.

In November 2021, the COTY jury whittled this longlist down to a seven-strong shortlist, six of which were electric vehicles (EVs), further demonstrating the growing importance of electric vehicles to consumers as society transitions towards a new mobility future, MotorPress reports.

From making the shortlist, the EV6 successfully fought off competition from the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Škoda Enyaq iV, Cupra Born, Renault Mégane E-Tech and Peugeot 308 to be crowned 2022 European Car of the Year, the Wheel Network reports.

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Jason Jeong, President at Kia Europe, said:

“It’s a great honour to have won the 2022 European Car of the Year with the EV6, the first-ever Kia to win this prestigious award. The EV6 is an exciting sign of what’s still to come in our evolving electrified line-up.”

Suzuki's new Baleno set to arrive in Mzansi by mid-2022 with more power and upgraded specs

South Africans love value-for-money items and in motoring terms, it doesn't come much better than Suzuki's Baleno hatchback, Briefly News reports.

The current model retails from R221 900 and offers a good, willing engine, sufficient space and generous features.

The Japanese carmaker recently announced that a new version is on the way to Mzansi and should be in showrooms from June this year. Besides the new exterior styling and interior materials the Baleno will now feature the carmaker's K15B 1,5-litre engine that delivers 77kW and 138 N.m, MotorPress reports. Thank goodness it's lightweight with a dry weight of 955 kg as the engine receives no cheat codes from a turbo.

In terms of specifications, there are a couple of trim levels available: GL and GLX. The entry-level GL model's notable standard features include cruise control and climate control with rear-mounted air vents, a 17cm touch screen infotainment system and a hill hold assist function.

Source: Briefly News