Kia EV9 electric SUV

[Kaido]

Official debut next month, but we have pictures for now:

Kia's EV9 electric SUV features three rows of seats and a striking design

Kia is giving us our first look at the interior and exterior of its upcoming mid-size EV9 SUV.

www.engadget.com

Dang, pretty nice for a Kia!



Kind of reminds me of the Volvo XC40. I'm hoping they offer different rims & that it looks less like a Transformer in other colors, haha:

 

[Wreckem]

I agree I hope they offer other rims.

Also hoping for 250+ range.

 

[Commodus]

I'm not normally a big fan of mid-size or larger SUVs, but I want to be all over the EV9 if my budget allows. Looks great, it's spacious, the in-cabin tech should be solid... and those swivel seats will be very handy for getting a little one in and out.

I'm fine with the rims as they are (they're eye-catching), but I'll agree with Wreckem that the EV9 needs good range to be truly appealing. Make it good enough for a drive of a few hours and I'm sold.

 

[Kaido]

I agree I hope they offer other rims.

Also hoping for 250+ range.

iirc the early details was near or at 300 miles of range. That'd be a home run!

 

[EXCellR8]

looks like something out of Detroit Become Human but I kind of don't hate the styling overall, minus the "obviously an EV" wheels

 

[Brovane]

From Arstechnica. Looks like a good 3 row people hauler that is big enough inside. Hopefully they can start production in Georgia so it will qualify for the EV tax credit.
However I have been disappointed with Kia/Hyundia before. They build a great EV and then sell only limited quantities so all the dealers mark them up above MSRP.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/03/heres-our-first-look-at-kias-ev9-three-row-electric-suv/

It's a bit too soon for Kia to officially announce specs or pricing for the EV9, but in January, Car and Driver got ahold of a Kia document purporting to show some of those details. There will be five trims in total, with prices starting at $56,000 for a base rear-wheel drive model with 200 hp (150 kW) and a 220-mile (354-km) range. This may well use the smaller of the two E-GMP battery packs.

A longer-range rear-wheel drive EV9 will probably use the larger battery pack to achieve 290 miles of range (467 km), plus the ability to tow up to 2,000 lbs (907 kg), for $61,000.

Car and Driver thinks you'll need to pay $63,000 for an all-wheel-drive EV9, which boasts twice the power. Range is supposedly around 260 miles (418 km) for this variant, and it can tow loads of up to 3,500 lb (1,588 kg).

The final two trims are slated to cost approximately $68,000 and $73,000—these both have a range of 240 miles (386 km), presumably due to their larger 20- or 21-inch wheels (which replace the standard 19-inch wheels). The most expensive EV9 also has a 4,500 lb (2,041 kg) tow rating.

At launch, the EV9 is unlikely to qualify for the federal clean vehicle tax credit, as the vehicle will be built in Korea, but the Korea Economic Daily reported that Kia is planning to start North American production in Georgia in 2024. As long as the EV9's battery pack contains enough domestic content, that should qualify it for a credit of up to $7,500.

 

[Kaido]

A longer-range rear-wheel drive EV9 will probably use the larger battery pack to achieve 290 miles of range (467 km), plus the ability to tow up to 2,000 lbs (907 kg), for $61,000.

If they can really hit $61k for a 290-mile 3-row electric SUV, they're going to sell a zillion of them lol

 

[Kaido]

Based on the initial pictures, I don't really know what the point of the swivel seats are...it looks like it has about as much legroom as the Tesla Model Y's 7-row back seat!

 

[Brovane]

If they can really hit $61k for a 290-mile 3-row electric SUV, they're going to sell a zillion of them lol

Where do the people in the 3rd row put their feet? That is crazy, their is no where for them to put their feet.

Is Hyundai/Kia ready to build and deliver 100k+ of them per year to the US market? What will probably happen is demand will outstrip supply and then the dealers are going to add "dealer packages" to the cars and sell them for $70k+ on their lots. Hyundai/Kia will then claim that there isn't enough demand in the US market to build more of them.

I would love for someone to build a really good 300+ mile range BEV Mini-van with the interior room of a Sienna.

 

[Commodus]

Based on the initial pictures, I don't really know what the point of the swivel seats are...it looks like it has about as much legroom as the Tesla Model Y's 7-row back seat!

View attachment 78222

I can see the appeal — a parent sits in the back and gets to face their kids.

 

[Kaido]

Where do the people in the 3rd row put their feet? That is crazy, their is no where for them to put their feet.

Is Hyundai/Kia ready to build and deliver 100k+ of them per year to the US market? What will probably happen is demand will outstrip supply and then the dealers are going to add "dealer packages" to the cars and sell them for $70k+ on their lots. Hyundai/Kia will then claim that there isn't enough demand in the US market to build more of them.

I would love for someone to build a really good 300+ mile range BEV Mini-van with the interior room of a Sienna.

I would 100% trade in my ICE for a 300-mile AWD EV minivan with spinny chairs lol

 

[Brovane]

I would 100% trade in my ICE for a 300-mile AWD EV minivan with spinny chairs lol

Even something like this would have been awesome, the Nissan E-NV200 passenger van.
Nissan didn't bring it to the US. You paired this with the 40 or 62kwhr battery from the Leaf and it would have made a great car.
Instead Nissan claimed no demand for a vehicle like this in the US.

 

[Kaido]

Even something like this would have been awesome, the Nissan E-NV200 passenger van.
Nissan didn't bring it to the US. You paired this with the 40 or 62kwhr battery from the Leaf and it would have made a great car.
Instead Nissan claimed no demand for a vehicle like this in the US.

Soccer Moms seem like the perfect demographic for this: AWD for winter, swivel seats for kids, EV for daily plugin, town drives so EV ranges work well. Plus Minivans already go for an insane amount of money; even a Kia Minivan starts at $33k!

 

[Wreckem]

Where do the people in the 3rd row put their feet? That is crazy, their is no where for them to put their feet.

Is Hyundai/Kia ready to build and deliver 100k+ of them per year to the US market? What will probably happen is demand will outstrip supply and then the dealers are going to add "dealer packages" to the cars and sell them for $70k+ on their lots. Hyundai/Kia will then claim that there isn't enough demand in the US market to build more of them.

I would love for someone to build a really good 300+ mile range BEV Mini-van with the interior room of a Sienna.

Happens with every brand that has a hot vehicle because of the American dealership model.

Even when brands threaten dealers with allotment cuts they find a way. Currently there are plenty of Ford dealers doing straw sells and titling mavericks and lightenings then selling them as certified pre owned with less than 100 miles. They list them for $10-30k above new msrp.

It doesn’t happen with Tesla because they are direct sales but they build in their price gouging into their direct sales price.

 

[Wreckem]

Soccer Moms seem like the perfect demographic for this: AWD for winter, swivel seats for kids, EV for daily plugin, town drives so EV ranges work well. Plus Minivans already go for an insane amount of money; even a Kia Minivan starts at $33k!

Kia will probably have the first EV minivan in the US. The Hybrid Carnival launches soon and the EV sometime in the next 12 months or so.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Soccer Moms seem like the perfect demographic for this: AWD for winter, swivel seats for kids, EV for daily plugin, town drives so EV ranges work well. Plus Minivans already go for an insane amount of money; even a Kia Minivan starts at $33k!

I know a couple of soccer moms and all of them have told me they wouldn't be caught dead in a Minivan. That's what uncool moms do. They all insisted on SUVs, even one that was in a financial position where they should have just chosen an old Camry or something. But had to have the SUV.

 

[Commodus]

I know a couple of soccer moms and all of them have told me they wouldn't be caught dead in a Minivan. That's what uncool moms do. They all insisted on SUVs, even one that was in a financial position where they should have just chosen an old Camry or something. But had to have the SUV.

Can't fault them, really. Minivans sometimes offer more space, but good grief are they usually dull (the VW ID.Buzz may be an exception). There's something to be said for a ride that doesn't drain the life out of you whenever you start the daily commute. The EV9 is something I'd actually be happy to drive... not excited, but at least happy.

 

[sdifox]

Driving is a drain on life to start with. Also I think they messed up the last pix with the two people. They seem awfully petite.

 

[Commodus]

I realized we haven't updated this thread with the official specs of the EV9.

Yes, Kia is targeting 300 miles of range with the larger battery and a single motor. The dual motor version will have shorter range, of course, but the GT-Line trim should do the 0-60MPH dash in about 5 seconds. Unfortunately, that swivelling middle row isn't coming to North America.

No word on price yet, but it's arriving here in Q4. It's safe to say this will be more expensive than the EV6, but it's also safe to say this will be the most affordable three-row electric SUV on the market given that the alternatives mainly boil down to the Model X, R1S and EQS SUV.

 

[A///]

If they can really hit $61k for a 290-mile 3-row electric SUV, they're going to sell a zillion of them lol

and recall 90% of them in a few years.

 

[Commodus]

and recall 90% of them in a few years.

What's prompting this? Certainly not the modern brand rep — Kia has come a long way. There are still cheap cars like the Rio, but the EV6, Telluride and other models are considered great vehicles.

 

[pete6032]

Does it have an immobilizer system?

 

[sdifox]

and recall 90% of them in a few years.

Kia reliability is in the top three in the US market now. It is impressive how much the Koreans have improved their product/process

 

[A///]

Kia reliability is in the top three in the US market now. It is impressive how much the Koreans have improved their product/process

Do you mean JD Power which is bribed? Kia/Hyundai have been dealing with electrical and engine recalls that result in fires. In the last eight months they've recalled close to 800K vehicles. If you pay to actual car news you'll find they issue recalls every few weeks. This is on top of them cheaping out on ignition systems with poor housing that allows their vehicles to be stolen if not equipped with push button start. You also missed the recalls for their Soul, Ionique5 and EV6 recalls for their electric vehicles. This is a legacy car maker. At least with Tesla you can pretend to ignore their problems because they're "still new at this" according to rabid Tesla fans.

Even Consumer Reports is a wash. 500K miles total, annually for 50 cars total. 10K miles a car. That is 1 year of ownership. Few cars are going to exhibit mechanical issues in 10 to 12 months. Does not account for driving style or rapid mileage such as people who use their personal vehicle for work travel.

 

[sdifox]

Do you mean JD Power which is bribed? Kia/Hyundai have been dealing with electrical and engine recalls that result in fires. In the last eight months they've recalled close to 800K vehicles. If you pay to actual car news you'll find they issue recalls every few weeks. This is on top of them cheaping out on ignition systems with poor housing that allows their vehicles to be stolen if not equipped with push button start. You also missed the recalls for their Soul, Ionique5 and EV6 recalls for their electric vehicles. This is a legacy car maker. At least with Tesla you can pretend to ignore their problems because they're "still new at this" according to rabid Tesla fans.

Even Consumer Reports is a wash. 500K miles total, annually for 50 cars total. 10K miles a car. That is 1 year of ownership. Few cars are going to exhibit mechanical issues in 10 to 12 months. Does not account for driving style or rapid mileage such as people who use their personal vehicle for work travel.

no, True Delta. They track real owner reports, probably a bit more accurate.