Barely straying from the idea mannequin first proven in Los Angeles in November 2021, the three-row mannequin shall be provided in a wide range of configurations and supply the brand new hands-free Highway Driving Pilot know-how.
Kia has huge aspirations within the EV market, with plans to launch seven all-electric fashions by 2027. It’s already scored huge with its first entry into the section, the EV6 crossover lately named North American Car of the Year. Now, it hopes to ship one other huge hit with the debut of the EV9.
First unveiled in idea kind on the 2021 Los Angeles Motor Show, EV9 shares the identical underlying “architecture” because the EV6, although right here it’s stretched to permit for a 3rd row. With its excessive roofline and key drivetrain parts mounted beneath the load flooring, the again row will supply greater than sufficient room for adults — because the 6’2” design chief Karim Habib demonstrated throughout a media webcast on Monday.
Kia EV9: Extended Range
Kia has but to disclose full particulars in regards to the new mannequin’s drivetrain know-how, however President and CEO Ho Sung Song famous it is going to be provided in a wide range of totally different configurations, together with each entrance and all-wheel-drive. There additionally shall be each normal and extended-range battery packs.
The bigger pack can have a capability of 99.8 kWh, sufficient, he stated, to ship as much as 541 km, or 336 miles, per cost. However, that’s primarily based on the worldwide WLTP normal. The U.S. EPA scores sometimes are available in about 25% decrease.
EV9 makes use of an 800V electrical system which allows quicker charging. Though full particulars additionally shall be launched later, Kia stated motorists will be capable to add as a lot as 239 km, or about 150 miles, of vary in simply quarter-hour.
EV9 GT Model Coming
Still different powertrain choices will comply with, in line with Song who stated, “We are aware of the demand for high-performance electrified vehicles.”
An EV9 GT mannequin is within the works and can debut in 2025, he revealed.
I cherished the EV6 GT, so I’ve excessive hopes.
GT Gets Highway Driving Assist
The EV9 GT mannequin will add extra than simply increased efficiency. It would be the first Kia to supply the automaker’s new Lidar-based Highway Driving Assist.
In technical phrases, it is going to be a Level 3 semi-autonomous system that may transcend present applied sciences like General Motors’ Super Cruise or Tesla’s Autopilot. Motorists not solely will be capable to drive hands-free however they’ll additionally divert their consideration away from the highway, maybe texting or watching movies on the infotainment system. They will, nonetheless, be required to remain on the able to retake management of the automobile in an emergency.
Currently, Mercedes-Benz is the one automaker promoting a real Level 3 system — however its Drive Pilot is proscribed to speeds beneath 35 miles an hour. It is unclear what the working vary for Kia’s system shall be.
Kia Digital Updates
Like most new automobiles, the Kia EV9 can deal with smartphone-style over-the-air updates. That can be utilized to revise onboard software program, and even tackle some remembers. But Kia has different plans in retailer.
Owners will be capable to remotely add new options to their automobiles, together with some they may not have chosen on the time of buy, defined Spencer Cho, head of worldwide enterprise planning. Other options could be launched later, he defined, including that they are going to be provided “either as a one-time purchase or on a subscription basis.”
The EV9 will function an array of lights constructed into the entrance fascia, and motorists may select to obtain new lighting patterns to offer their EV9 a novel look.
Kia EV9 Design
The new SUV picks up on Kia’s “opposites united” design language, defined Habib. That’s obvious in a profile view. EV9 options crisp angles round its low-drag wheels, however the remainder of the physique adopts a easily sculpted form with solely essentially the most refined of character traces.
Up entrance, EV9 introduces a brand new method to the trademark Kia “tiger nose” grille. Here, it integrates the entrance lighting and small intakes wanted to chill the motor drive and battery pack — one thing Habib calls a “tiger mask.”
EV9 includes a lengthy, flat roof that flows into the longest built-in spoiler on any Kia mannequin, and in contrast to most fashionable battery-electric automobiles, it will get a rear windshield wiper.
Sustainable Interior
With its flat load flooring and recessed instrument panel, the cabin is designed to emphasise EV9’s roominess. But there’s additionally a concentrate on know-how, with massive twin digital shows.
A excessive precedence for this system was sustainability, stated Marilia Biill, who oversaw the event of inside materials and finishes. Instead of utilizing leather-based, it includes a cloth utilizing corn and different sustainable supplies to create an analogous appear and feel. Recycled supplies from pop bottles and fishing nets are also used for textiles and different surfaces.
“Our real goal was to have sustainability at scale,” stated Biill, noting that these supplies shall be used on all EV9 trim ranges.
2024 Kia EV9: Pricing & Availability
Expect the EV9 to be the most costly mannequin within the Kia lineup, in line with business analysts. That displays the premium most producers cost for his or her all-electric fashions.
Kia plans to disclose pricing nearer to launch, in line with CEO Song — who acknowledged that it’s following what opponents are as much as earlier than locking down agency numbers.
That stated, it received’t take lengthy. The automaker will start taking orders for the 2024 Kia EV9 within the South Korean market through the second quarter of this yr. It will open up orders in North and South America, in addition to Europe and another markets through the second half of 2023.
An Inspiration
Expect to see the EV9 strongly affect the subsequent technology of Kia battery-electric automobiles. It shall be “a source of inspiration for future EV models,” stated Song, and “will play a key role in how the Kia brand is defined going forward.”