Kia EV9 2024. here is Kia’s new electric SUV.. Kia EV9 2024. here is Kia’s new electric SUV. With its body painted in Ivory Silver with a matte finish and black elements, the EV9 has a look reminiscent of a Star Wars Stormtrooper , its angular shapes contrasting with the curves of the EV6, the Korean brand’s first electric SUV. Before proceeding with the unveiling, Karim Habib, executive vice president responsible for design at Kia, explained his philosophy called Opposites United , embracing contrast in all its forms.
This philosophy was first expressed through the EV9 Concept and was then completed by the production model, the latter abandoning the antagonistic doors of the concept, which made it possible to better admire its interior.
A tiger mask.
Its body displays a verticality typical of SUVs, but the EV9 is distinguished by its vertically cut optical units and by its «mask» in the shape of a tiger’s muzzle evoking the style of the grille of the brand’s combustion engine vehicles. We also note that the front and rear fenders have triangular shapes, and that the belt line is low in order to increase the glazed surface.
The rear part is also cut vertically, and the lights are deployed on three branches in a design called Star Map by the designers of the EV9. It rolls on 19 or 21-inch rims, painted black on the vehicles unveiled during this presentation. The Ivory Silver color will be part of the catalog, as well as the blue of the Concept EV9 presented in 2021, and these two colors will be available in matte or gloss finish.
Large digital panel and no buttons
The EV9 is an SUV with three rows of seats, the first two of which slide on rails, allowing more or less legroom to be granted to all rows. The steering wheel has two flat parts, at the base and at the top, and a large digital panel extends over the dashboard.
This panel is made up of two very large screens, the first displaying driving information, while the second serves as an interface with the infotainment system and other functions. A third screen, arranged vertically and resembling that of a smartphone, has been inserted between the two horizontal screens. Note that the EV9 will be equipped with the brand’s new infotainment system, which works with faster processors.
It is therefore hoped that it will be possible to operate Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with a wireless connection, but no one at KIA was able to confirm or deny this speculation. On the lower edge of the dashboard, there are backlit keys to activate various systems, the cabin being devoid of conventional buttons.
Technical basis of the EV6.
The EV9 is built on the manufacturer’s E-GMP architecture and, even if this presentation of this electric SUV only focused on its design, some technical information has leaked. So our colleagues at Car and Driver received a screenshot of an email communication to a current Kia customer with a Telluride, which shared information about the EV9 coming to the US market.
According to this post, the EV9 will be offered in two rear-wheel-drive versions (base and RWD), with a single engine developing 200 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque. The base model would have a range of 354 kilometers, be able to achieve 0 to 60 miles per hour in 8.5 seconds and would not be suitable for towing. The RWD would have a larger capacity battery adding 112 kilometers of autonomy, for a total of 466 kilometers. On the other hand, it would be 0.4 seconds slower for 0 to 60 miles per hour, but could tow up to 2,000 lb (900 kg).
An all-wheel-drive version, with two motors generating a combined 400 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque, would tow up to 3,500 lb (1,587 kg), be capable of a 0-60 mile the time in 6 seconds and would have a range of 418 kilometers. Let’s bet that these range data are at the WLTP standard, and that the EPA range of the different versions of the EV9 will be at least 11% lower.
00:00 Kia EV9 2024. here is Kia’s new electric SUV.
00:48 A tiger mask.
01:41 Large digital panel and no buttons
02:48 Technical basis of the EV6.
