Kia EV6 named SUV of the year in North America

The Kia EV6 is this year's North American Utility Vehicle of the Year of the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards (NACTOY).

Kia Corp. on Wednesday said its model earned the honor at the NACTOY awards ceremony at M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan.

The EV6's award comes three years after the Kia SUV Telluride won it in 2020.

The three finalists for this year's award were the EV6, Hyundai Genesis GV60 and Cadillac Lyric.

The NACTOY jury hailed the EV6 for its attractive design, amazing performance as shown by the GT model and an overwhelming cruising range on a single charge at a reasonable price. Though Kia is a regular brand, it added, the company's design and convenience functions are those expected of luxury brands.

The EV6 is the seven Korean vehicle to win Car of the Year in North America, following the Hyundai Genesis BH in 2009, Hyundai Avante in 2012, Hyundai Genesis G70 and Hyundai Kona in 2019, Kia Telluride in 2020 and the Avante again in 2021.

The selection jury comprised 50 experts from automotive trade magazines, broadcast and online media, and newspapers in the US and Canada.

Since February last year, sales of the EV6 in the US have exceeded 19,000 units.

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com