Kia EV9 spotted testing in India undisguised: Everything you need to know about the upcoming e-SUV

The Kia EV9 is built on the company’s E-GMP platform which is a skateboard architecture.

Korean car company Kia is all set to bring EV9, its flagship EV SUV, to India after confirming the same in 2023.

Set to be launched sometime later this year, the SUV has been spotted testing on Indian roads completely undisguised. The SUV gets a number of features including Level 3 ADAS and it comes as no surprise that the EV9 will be Kia’s biggest and most expensive SUV in the country.

The design

As far as design goes, the EV9 is your typical SUV. Its conventional boxy silhouette is only contrasted by the EV-specific features it showcases. The hood of the car stands tall and features Z-shaped LED DRLs first showcased on the 2023 Auto Expo concept. In fact, a lot of the concept car’s design has been carried over to the production model. The grille, of course, is blanked off and flanked by cube LED headlamps. The bumper features a large air dam for its cooling needs. On the side, the EV9 gets flared, polygonal wheel arches and a fairly large glasshouse. The side skirts add a bit of muscle to an already muscular side profile. Finally, at the rear, the highlight is the star map LED tail lamps. For the most part, the rear is fairly minimalistic with the bumper adding a bit of heft and the rear spoiler neatly covering the rear windshield wiper. As far as dimensions go, the EV9 measures 5,015mm in length, 1,980 mm in width and 1,780mm in height. This easily dwarfs most other cars on the road.

The interior

Inside, the EV9 is as resplendent as you would expect considering this is the company’s flagship e-SUV. The SUV will be available in either a six or seven-seater format and the interiors, Kia says, were created using recyclable materials and sustainable resources such as PET bottles, sugarcane, natural oils and maize. The interior is fairly customisable as well with a 60:40 split rear passenger row and a remote folding second row.

The dashboard is dominated by a large screen positioned behind the steering wheel and extending out to the centre. Behind this there are two 12.3-inch displays, one acting as the driver’s instrument cluster and the one in the centre for the infotainment system. Other than this, there is a small 5-inch display for climate control functions. Sound is taken care of by a 14-speaker premium Meridian sound system. Other features include ventilated seats, a large sunroof, USB charging points, ambient lighting, wireless phone charging, connected car technology, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay for phone connectivity, fingerprint recognition and even a digital key.

The performance

The Kia EV9 is built on the company’s E-GMP platform which is a skateboard architecture. This is a modular platform allowing for a variety of battery sizes and powertrain options. The EV9, in particular, is expected to be available in two battery size options. The ‘Standard’ variant is powered by a smaller 76.1kWh battery pack and mated to a rear-wheel-drive (RWD) system.

In this configuration the motor produces 215hp of maximum power and 350Nm of peak torque with a 0-100km/h sprint time of roughly 8.2 seconds. The Long Range variant, on the other hand, is powered by a larger 99.8kWh battery and mated to either an RWD system or an all-wheel-drive (AWD) system. The RWD variant’s motor produces a lower 201hp of maximum power and 350Nm of peak torque and completes the 0-100km/h sprint in 9.4 seconds. Finally, the most powerful AWD variant makes use of two motors, one at each axle, producing a total of 379hp of maximum power and 600Nm of peak torque. In this configuration the EV9 is capable of accelerating from 0 to 2100km/h in under six seconds. According to Kia, the Long Range/RWD variant is capable of 489 km on a single charge.

The EV9 comes with fast charging capabilities built into it. With the 800V electric architecture, the SUV will be able to charge at a maximum DC charging speed of 235 kW going from 10 percent to 80 percent in under 25 minutes. The onboard 10.9kW charger also allows for Level 2 charging.
In terms of safety, the Kia EV9 will obviously get all of the active and passive safety features you would want to see in a flagship SUV, but the highlight will be the Level 3 ADAS system. This will be available only on the highest GT trim and gets features such as Highway Driving Pilot, forward collision avoidance assist, emergency autonomous braking and more.

The pricing

The Kia EV9 is expected to make its way to the market towards the end of the year and only after the new Kia Carnival is launched. In terms of pricing we can expect something around the Rs 80 lakh mark, making the e-SUV at least Rs 20 lakh more expensive than Kia’s most expensive car and its only other EV in the Indian market, the EV6. The EV9 will take on the likes of the BMW iX, the Jaguar I-PACE and the Volvo C40 Recharge.