Kia’s continual improvements are getting noticed by Wards Auto.
Kia has announced in a press release that its latest electric vehicle was named a winner of the prestigious Wards 10 Best Interiors & UX awards. This is the latest accolade received by the automaker as it continues to expand its ‘Plan S’ phase which revolves around its commitment to EVs.
As a reminder, this is what the interior of the EV6 looks like:
The folks over at Wards Auto consider factors such as design, material quality, fit-and-finish of said materials, ergonomics, and value. For the first time, they are throwing interface controls into the mix. This includes infotainment systems, their usability, the display itself, and contributing controls.
2022 marks the first year that the 10 Best Interiors and 10 Best UX awards is now one award, setting a higher standard for automakers to bear.
As for Kia, it can’t be more proud. “The EV6’s modern, bold design elements and interior solutions thoughtfully integrated with intuitive technology reinforce Kia’s future-forward vision for electric vehicles,” said Steven Center, COO and EVP of Kia America.
They have moved more than 10,000 units since the EV6 went on sale in the US earlier this year. This latest accolade is a testament to Kia’s continually evolving brand perception as it works hard to no longer be perceived as a bargain-basement brand with a 10-year warranty.
Case in point? The EV6’s cousin, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, qualified as a finalist for the same award but wasn’t considered a winner. On the other hand, their sister luxury brand, represented by the Genesis GV70, is taking home a 10 Best award.
You can read about the other winners on the list here.
[Images: Kia]
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“The EV6’s cousin, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, qualified as a finalist for the same award but wasn’t considered a winner.”
The Ioniq 5 appears to be more of a techie/Spartan style (although not nearly like Tesla’s), while the EV6 seems like a smoother progression from ICE dashboards.
I’m sure Kia sees this award as vindication of its 2-mode control panel for the HVAC and infotainment stuff. It’s a clever space-saving idea, but not everyone would like it. Apparently Ward’s thought it was OK.
“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsI9WWV1B7M”
Is there an award for best dealership experience?
As for Kia, my purchase experiences are 2-0 at one local dealer, 1-0 at a second, and 0-1 at a third. The first one is very good, the third one is slimy.
I suspect the dealer experience has changed a lot since Covid, either for better or for worse. For me, I found that a simple MSRP purchase made it much more pleasant (Hyundai, in my case).
The interior of the EV6 is very good, particularly compared to past Kias.
Whoever thought up the combination HVAC/audio controls should be exiled.
That is all.
Blech. Less screen, more knobs.
My sister is seriously looking at one of these when it’s time to trade in the C-class (soon). Given their Sorento has been very good, my excellent experience with Kia’s, and they have one of the really good dealers in the Philadelphia area, it’s their current first choice.