At the beginning of this year, Kia Motors confirmed that the brand aims to release seven new electric vehicles around the globe and three of them will be heading towards the Indian market by the year 2024, as the EV sector is picking up pace. Just yesterday, the ‘Kia Worldwide’ Instagram page posted a teaser of the all-new Kia Concept EV9 an all-electric full-size SUV. From the looks of the silhouette released by the brand, the car seems to be of larger dimensions and shares an uncanny resemblance to the Kia Telluride (sold in the US).
Kia EV9: What to expect
The sister brand Hyundai is also preparing an all-electric SUV, the ‘Ioniq 7’ or the so-called ‘Seven Concept’, and we think that both the Ioniq 7 and the EV9 will share the new Hyundai E-GMP modular platform. Both the cars could be revealed in the LA motor show starting next week. Kia is also hosting a live stream on its YouTube channel on the 11th of November at 8 AM (GMT), and is calling it the ‘Kia Sustainability Movement’. Following the looks and dimensions of the EV9, it is safe to say that it will be carrying a bigger battery pack than the earlier models such as the EV6.
The larger chassis size could also facilitate the fitment of motors at both the front and rear giving the SUV all-wheel-drive capabilities. The new E-GMP platform can support the similar 800V charging as seen in the EV6 that can help in rapid charging of the larger batteries to be fitted in the EV9. As far as range goes the EV9 will be able to deliver a good enough range only if fitted with a 90kWh battery or higher as the bulky and boxy shape of the car will contribute to more drag. With the EV9, performance should not be an issue, as the top-spec variant of the EV6 already offers a dual-motor setup that puts out 577PS of power which should be good enough to pull the weight of the EV9.
Talking about whether or not will the EV9 come to India; there is a slight chance that this car is released for the Indian market, as the Kia lineup does not offer any electric SUV in India, and its sibling brand, Hyundai is also willing to launch the Ioniq series in India.