Anticipated India Launch: Kia EV9

Korean automobile giant, Kia plans to launch their second EV in India, the Kia EV9. This vehicle was first showcased at Auto Expo 2023, followed by a global launch. Kia India has also trademarked EV1 to EV9 names in our country, which hints at the brand’s roadmap for the Indian market. Today, we’ll closely look at the offerings of this upcoming seven-seater electric vehicle. 

Build and Design

The Kia EV9 is built on the E-GMP (Electric Global Modular Platform) EV platform which is the same platform as the Kia EV6 and the Hyundai IONIQ 5. The EV9 looks muscular and boxy from every angle. It is 5015mm long, 1980mm wide, 1780mm tall, and has a wheelbase of 3100mm, and a 225mm ground clearance. It has 312 litres of boot space with all three rows up but can be expanded to 2993 litres with second and third-row seats folded.

Performance

The Kia EV 9 might launch in two variants: all-wheel-drive (AWD) and rear-wheel-drive (RWD). The all-wheel-drive variant with dual-motor is expected to produce 379 HP power and 600 Nm of torque, while the rear-wheel-drive single-motor variant is expected to produce 201 HP power and 350Nm of torque.

Features and Saftey

Kia has loaded the EV9 with everything because it is their flagship SUV. It packs triple screens mounted on the dashboard for infotainment (12.3-inch), and instrumentation (12.3-inch), and between these two screens is a 5.3” HVAC screen. It allows the temperature and seat heating settings to be easily changed. The 14-speaker Meridian sound system will also be there. 

For safety, it is loaded with 9 airbags, Level-3 ADAS, connected car technology, and much more. The Kia EV9 won the title of 'Best Family Car' during Golden Steering Wheel 2023 in America, alongside other awards since its inception. The Kia EV 9 has a frunk (front trunk) storage capacity of 90 litres in AWD and 52 litres in RWD versions.

Battery, Range, and Charging

Both variants of the Kia EV 9 will most probably have a 99.6kWh battery, which is expected to have a driving range of 580+ kilometres.

Multi Fast Charging System

Thanks to 800-volt ultra-high speed charging, 15 minutes of charging can give a 249-km driving range in the RWD version and up to 226 km in the AWD version. This means, the EV9 can be charged from 10% to 80% in only 24 minutes, which equals 70 kWh of energy delivered to the battery. With the multicharging system, drivers can use 800V ultra-high speed chargers and the widely-used 400V fast chargers.

When using a 400V charger, the Kia EV9 uses the electric motor and rear inverter and automatically converts the 400-volt electric current to 800-V for the car. All this happens smoothly, automatically, and quickly to ensure the optimal charging speed.

Pricing

Kia will most likely import the EV 9 via the CBU (completely built unit) route, which is why we don't expect competitive pricing. But it might not be exorbitant because the Indian government recently slashed the import duties on premium electric vehicles. You can check out my article on the Indian government's new policy on import duties here.