With fuel prices skyrocketing across the globe, more and more people are moving towards cars that can house more people. If it is a hybrid or an electric vehicle, even better. That's two less things to worry then. For a while now, many carmakers have been toying with the idea of bigger SUVs that are either hybrids or all-electric.
Kia gave the world a glimpse of its concept EV9 back at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2021, and just like most of the concept cars, it certainly did blow us away with what it looked like. After the grand success of its first all-electric EV6, it didn’t come as a surprise when Kia announced a gigantic EV9. Well, the Kia EV9 is all set to make its global debut in the first quarter of 2023, and the sales will start by the second half of 2023. The Kia EV9 will play a crucial role in fulfilling Kia’s plans to build 500,000 EVs per year by 2030 in its push for electrification of its line-up. So, what is this all-electric SUV from the Korean automaker all about? We take a closer look to figure out what the hullaballoo is all about.
The 2021 Kia EV9 Concept
When the world first got the glimpse of the Kia EV9, it got us all drooling for various reasons. The flagship SUV from the Korean car manufacturer looked futuristic and the pictures got us all wondering if the road version will even be close to the rendition. The Kia EV9 concept looked like an Americanized rendition of a contemporary Korean art piece. It had the best of both the worlds.
The Kia EV9 concept was LARGE, had no B-pillar, was 16-feet long, and 6-feet tall. The 22-inch wheels made it look ‘massive’ for the lack of a better adjective we can think of. The missing B-pillar meant suicide doors which do look majestic almost in every car if not all. Due to safety reasons, we did not expect the production-ready version to have these suicide doors, but we surely hoped so.
The three-row seats arrangement meant it could accommodate seven adults with ease in the 2+3+2 arrangement. It even had the potential to be an eight-seater with the 3+3+2 arrangement. It had a 27-inch display, tons of space for the occupants, and a huge trunk. At that time, Kia even hinted at the possibility of autonomous driving in the production-ready version.
Similar to the award-winning Kia EV6, the Kia EV9 was bound to use the 800-volt Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) technology which would mean charging from 10 to 80 percent in less than 20 minutes with the 350kWcharger. The 350kW charger also adds around 62 miles of range in just six minutes. The Kia EV9 concept was rumored to have an overall range of over 300 miles thanks to an estimated battery size of 97 kWh, and a solar panel built into the hood. All things considered, the EV9 concept was supposed to go, at least on paper, from 0-70mph in a little over five seconds. The higher trims were expected to be AWD and the more modest ones were expected to be just RWD and with smaller battery packs.
The 2023 Kia EV9 Will Be A Very Capable SUV
The Kia EV9 is almost production-ready and all set to make its debut in the first quarter of 2023. Kia has been testing the EV9 for a while now before it breaks covers in a not-so-distant future. The Kia EV9 will be the Korean manufacturer’s flagship product and will take on some of the biggest names in the American automobile market. Kia is also testing the EV9 in its Namyang R&D center in Korea where it’s AWD and water-wading capabilities are being tested.
As expected, the B-pillar is missing from the production-ready version which also means the rear-hinged door goes away too. No suicide doors means better safety for the occupants, but the car doesn’t look half as radical as it did in the concept stage. But that’s how it usually works. The production-ready models are more ‘realistic’ than their ‘concepts’ keeping in mind the safety and practicality of the automobile.
What Does The Kia EV9 Mean For The Korean Automaker?
Even though details about the production vehicle have not been released by Kia, speculations are flooding the market since November 2021 when it was showcased for the first time. The Kia EV9 is expected to hover around the power mark of 350HP and Kia is relying a lot on its success to turn completely electric in the future.
The fact that the American market loves big SUVs, and the success of some of the electric and PHEV SUVs in recent times has given enough hopes to the folks at Kia to bank a lot on this flagship. There has been no announcement on the price of Kia EV9, but we expect it to be upwards of $ 50,000.