KIA EV9—SOON A SEVEN-SEATER FULLY ELECTRIC CAR

By Piero Facchin

Kia has announced that it will launch a total of nine new electric vehicles by 2027, many of which will be based on the same E-GMP platform as the Kia EV6 and the high-performance Kia EV6 GT.

The next electric Kia will be a seven-seat SUV called the EV9. It is expected to be unveiled in the early months of 2023 and go on sale before the end of the year. At just under five metres long, the EV9 will be similar in size to the Tesla Model X and BMW iX, but is expected to cost considerably less than those vehicles. The EV9 will use the E-GMP platform, with Kia previously claiming that it will be capable of 0–100 km/h in five seconds and offer a range of around 539 km.

Kia aspires to become an electric-only brand largely in Europe by 2035 and plans to sell only electric and fuel cell vehicles worldwide by 2040. Kia’s first hydrogen fuel cell model will be introduced in the next decade and will likely use some of Hyundai’s next-generation hydrogen fuel cell technologies.

Kia also has plans for pure electric utility vehicles, referred to in a 2022 strategy presentation as PBVs (Purpose-Built Vehicles). Eventually, these will be built on a dedicated skateboard-style EV platform, to allow each company to tailor the size and shape of the cars to its needs.