- Kia has paused imports of the high-performance EV6 GT.
- Tariffs made the pricey electric hot hatch harder to sell.
- Other EV6 trims are still built in Georgia and sold here.
If you want the wildest version of Kia’s EV6, you’d better be fine with someone else having already enjoyed its Porsche-eating performance before you take the keys. The high-performance EV6 GT has quietly disappeared from the American market, at least for now, leaving the rest of the lineup to carry the electric torch, and GT fans looking to the used market.
“Due to changing market conditions, the 2026 EV6 GT will be delayed until further notice,” Kia told Road & Track. “This delay does not impact the availability of other trims in the EV6 lineup, which are proudly assembled in our world-class facility in West Point, Georgia.”
Origin Matters
Unlike the regular EV6 models that are assembled in Georgia, the GT is built in Korea. That means it gets hit with the full tariff impact before it reaches a showroom, making it hard for Kia to trim down a price that looked salty at over $65,000 for the MY25 GT.
More: Kia Unveils Four New GT Models With Speed, Minus The Drama
It’s a shame because the EV6 GT isn’t just another electric crossover with a sporty badge slapped on it. With up to 641 hp (650 PS / 478 kW), neck-snapping acceleration and a torque-vectoring all-wheel drive system, it’s one of the most entertaining EVs currently on sale.
But 2026 is no time for Kia to make heart-led decisions, not when its recent EV sales have been such a car crash. Demand for the EV6 plummeted 53 percent in February, versus the same month last year, and the EV9 slid 40 percent. That downturn, and the ongoing tariff problems, explain why Kia has also put a hold on US launches for the EV4 hatchback and sedan, and the EV3 SUV.
Role Reversal
Strangely, over at Kia’s sister brand Hyundai, the exact opposite is happening. The regular Ioniq 6 sedan, which shares its 800-volt E-GMP platform and electric hardware with Kia’s EV, is being dropped for MY26, but the high-performance Ioniq 6N is still available. Sales of the plain Ioniq 6 fell 61 percent in January, while its chunkier Ioniq 5 brother only experienced a 6 percent decline.
