Shortly after being crowned 2022 European Car of the Year, the multi-award-winning Kia EV6 has claimed overall victory in the prestigious 2022 Red Dot Design Awards. The 50-strong expert jury of the renowned international design competition awarded the EV6 with the ‘Red Dot: Best of the Best’ accolade for its pioneering and forward-looking design. The all-electric crossover was also named winner of the Red Dot category: ‘Innovative Products’.
As Kia’s first dedicated battery-electric vehicle, the EV6 symbolises the brand’s new direction as it transitions into a leading sustainable mobility solutions provider. The ground-breaking electric crossover was created according to Kia’s new design philosophy ‘Opposites United’, which guarantees a powerful visual identity with contrasting combinations of sharp stylistic elements and sculptural shapes. The EV6 is also the first Kia to be based on the company’s advanced Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). This innovative platform has enabled the EV6 to offer one of the most spacious interiors in its class, a driving range of up to 528 km, and 800-volt ultra-fast charging technology that enables the vehicle to be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in just 18 minutes.
Karim Habib, Head of Kia Global Design Centre, said: “The EV6 is a very important vehicle for the Kia brand, as it is our first fully dedicated EV with our best technology for a new era. We have the ambition to keep pushing the boundaries of automotive design and to back up product substance with inventive, bold and forward-looking designs.
“These two Red Dot awards honor the hard work of our teams and encourage us to stay the course towards the future of environmentally responsible mobility for all.”
The EV6 continues Kia’s impressive run of success at the Red Dot Awards. Since 2009, when the Kia Soul became the first vehicle from a Korean brand to receive the award, a total of 27 Kia models have been awarded with a coveted Red Dot award. The EV6 is also the sixth Kia to receive the Red Dot ‘Best of the Best’ accolade.
The Kia EV6 has met with an extremely positive response since its launch last year. As well as scooping Red Dot and 2022 European Car of the Year awards, the electric crossover has also won “German Car of the Year 2022” in the Premium category, “Irish Car of the Year 2022”, UK’s “What Car? Car of the Year 2022”, “Crossover of the Year” at the TopGear.com Awards 2021 and the inaugural “Best Cars of the Year” Awards 2021/22.
Red Dot Award: An international jury of experts evaluates more than just aesthetics
The Red Dot Design Award is one of the largest design competitions in the world. It is announced annually by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen and is divided into three disciplines: Product Design, Brands & Communication Design and Design Concept. The history of the traditional ‘Red Dot Award: Product Design’ goes back to 1955.
This year’s entries were assessed by a 50-member international jury of independent designers, design professors and trade journalists. In addition to aesthetics, the product design competition also evaluates criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, quality and ecological compatibility. In the meta category “Innovative Products”, the focus is on the innovative features of the submitted product.