The all-electric EV9 SUV will make the move from concept to reality, with Kia confirming its UK release for next year.
And if you’re in the market for a super-practical, slickly-stylish seven-seat lease vehicle, that’s very good news indeed.
We first caught wind of the EV9 in November last year when it was released as a concept model, and a few things made it really stand out.
First was the styling - minimalist and space age in equal proportion - and which affords a roomy interior that’ll accommodate seven people.
The other thing that strikes you is the performance. At the time Kia promised a 0-60mph sprint speed of just 3.5 second and a range of up to 300 miles between charges, thanks to the ‘KIA E-GMP’ battery-electric platform.
Now Kia has confirmed that the EV9 is ‘ready for adventure’, and is heading for European roads in 2023.
Karim Habib, Senior Vice President and Head of Kia Global Design Centre, says:
“In the Concept EV9, we are showcasing how the SUV of today can evolve to play a fundamental role in the sustainable mobility era.
“The nucleus of the Concept EV9 is a cutting-edge exterior design, a contemporary and innovative tech-based interior space and an advanced all-electric powertrain. And these are the core principles that will shape our future SUV creations.”
Kia will be hoping the EV9 goes down as well as its EV6 crossover - a vehicle that scooped the ‘Car of the Year 2022’ gong from What Car? magazine.
The EV9 is a ‘rugged’ and ‘upright’ SUV with three rows of seats and which is built firmly with sustainability principles in mind. Recycled fishnets have been used to help create the flooring, the seating fabric is made from recycled plastic bottles and recycled wool fibres, and vegan leather features in the interior as opposed to any animal product.
The EV9 gets a digital tiger face, within which hides a star cloud pattern display and which gives a nod to the natural world.
There are retractable roof rails that close inward into the roof, a camera monitoring system that does away with conventional wing mirrors, as well as large 22-inch alloy wheels.
A panoramic glass roof should come as standard, while the rest of the interior has been crafted to resemble a ‘first-class lounge’.
At the heart of the cabin is an interactive 27-inch screen, which controls pretty much everything in the car, from climate control to the radio.
And when the EV9 is in ‘Pause’ mode, the rear seats can swivel to face each other, creating a ‘conference’ style configuration, presumably so you can chat with your family while they munch through the picnic.
There’s also an ‘Enjoy Mode’, which ‘opens the interior into a downtime breakout space by turning around the three-row seat configuration.’
A Kia spokesperson adds:
“In this mode, the tailgate opens, giving all occupants the opportunity to connect with the outside environment and gaze ahead and beyond the vehicle while sitting comfortably inside the all-electric SUV.”
We don’t yet know precisely what battery the EV9 will have, but lease customers are promised ultra-fast replenishment technology, with a 350-kW charger that will take the energy levels from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in 20 to 30 minutes.
As for rivals, you can expect the Kia EV9 to go up against everything from the Audi e-tron SUV and Mercedes-Benz EQB to the ballistic Tesla Model X.
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