Kia’s upcoming all-electric EV9 is the type of monster that keeps the likes of Range Rover, Tesla and Volvo awake at night and now prestige brands will lose more sleep with two new teaser videos of the large three-row electric SUV dropping in the past 24 hours.
The two 16-second clips, one titled ‘Silhouette’ and the other ‘Lights’, that aired on Kia’s global YouTube channel are brief but they’re long enough to confirm what we wanted to know – the EV9 is every bit the beast that was revealed in concept guise at the Los Angeles Motor show in 2021.
While both clips are dark and moody, “Silhouette” shows the EV9’s crisp creases and bulky build.
It’s great to see the rear haunches have retained their sharp angle leading to distinctive squared-off door panels that we saw from the concept.
There’s the Range Rover style set-back cabin, the tall, flat roofline and large windows with the rear ones angling 45 degrees and almost parallel with the windscreen to meet the roof.
Speaking of large, the rear passenger doors appear enormous, offering what could be the best third-row access outside a people mover, suggesting that the 3.1m wheelbase of the concept may have been kept for the real deal.
By way of comparison, the new-gen Toyota LandCruiser has a wheelbase of 2.85m and not even Hyundai’s Palisade flagship SUV can beat it at 2.9m.
What clearly hasn’t been retained from the concept are rear-hinged doors. This would have provided walk-through open access, but alas the clips show the production-ready car with rear door handles located towards the back, suggesting a B-pillar hinge and a regular opening style.
The “Lights” teaser clip focuses on what is a fitting feature for this imposing SUV and that is a spectacular LED display both front and back.
Video of dun52OH1vfk
We’ve seen Kia adopt LED lighting in a creative way with the Sportage and EV6, and the EV9 takes the drama further with ice-cube-tray-style LEDs fading into the featureless smooth ‘grille’ that’s now become an electric vehicle signifier.
There’s strong Rivian feels around the upright front-end and Volvo vibes at the back with tall tail-lights that also extend into the tailgate.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the production-ready EV9; it is, however, the most official and revealing yet of what the EV9 will look like when it arrives in Australia come July this year.
Most recently we were treated to glimpses of the EV9 testing in Santiago, Chile. The blue EV9 looked almost identical to the concept apart from the larger wing mirrors needed for safety regulations.
Video of J04RlAHFh2g
Built on the E-GMP platform which the EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 also share, the EV9 could have a 0-100km/h time of less than five seconds and a range that nudges 500km.
With a 350kW battery, expect charging times from 0-80 per cent to be about 30 minutes.
So how much will all this cost? Well a lot less than a Tesla’s Model X and Volvo’s EX90 with Kia Australia’s general manager for product planning Roland Rivero telling CarsGuide it could come in at under $100,000.
“As an entry point, we’re confident it can be a five-figure car,” Mr Rivero said.
Keyword: Are these world's biggest back doors? Kia EV9 electric car teased ahead of Toyota LandCruiser rival's debut