Report: Facelifted Kia EV6 GT Will Get The Ioniq 5 N’s Fake Gears

Kia recently launched the facelifted EV6 as part of its global lineup update.

As part of its effort to streamline the product lineup, Kia updated the EV6 all-electric crossover earlier this year, where it features some EV9-inspired design and minor equipment upgrades. Keen eyes will notice that Kia has yet to peel off the wraps for the top-spec variant of the facelifted EV6, namely the EV6 GT.

The soon-to-be-facelifted Kia EV6 GT (left) is expected to get the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N’s (right) simulated seven-speed gearbox.

It turns out that the new EV6 GT will get more than just a mere facelift treatment, as the sporty EV crossover is reportedly getting the same fake gears as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. As reported by CarScoops, the facelifted EV6 GT will get the exact same seven-speed unit used on the Ioniq 5 N, where drivers will get an option to engage the car’s dual-motor setup with simulated gear shifts.

However, the facelifted EV6 GT won’t get all the fun bits and features available on the Ioniq 5 N because the EV6 is intended to be a GT car, unlike the N-badged hot-hatch crossover, which is intended to be a fun, track-ready machine. This means features like the manually-selectable front-rear torque distribution and the N Drift optimiser would still be exclusively available for the Ioniq 5 N.

On top of that, Kia didn’t mention whether the facelifted EV6 GT will be getting a power boost to match the Ioniq 5 N’s 641 HP total system output. For reference, the current pre-facelift EV6 GT’s dual-motor AWD setup delivers a total system output of 576 HP.

Facelifted Kia EV6 debuted in South Korea earlier this year.

As for the visuals, we can expect the facelifted EV6 GT to get the same EV9-fication treatment as its non-GT-badged twins, albeit with some additional sporty bits befitting its GT namesake. Additionally, the new EV6 GT may also get the bigger 84-kWh battery unit as the standard model, replacing the old 77-kWh unit for a longer EV range.

For reference, the pre-facelift Kia EV6 GT boasts a maximum EV range of 424 KM (WLTP), while the facelifted EV6 with a bigger 84-kWh battery gets a longer WLTP range of 494 KM for the single-motor RWD model.

As of now, Kia has yet to reveal the exact debut date for the facelifted Kia EV6 GT, with the only time frame given by the Korean automaker being some time later this year. With the facelifted, non-GT EV6 already debuting in its native Korean market, we can expect the whole facelifted EV6 lineup to make its way into other international markets next year.