The Korean manufacturer is keeping most of the technical details under wraps for now. It is known that the new SUV is based on the E-GMP platform.
The Kia brand has its own “green” family: its first-born was the EV6 cross-hatchback, presented in the spring of 2021. The flagship crossover Kia EV9 will soon join it: the harbinger of the novelty — the show car of the same name — the Korean manufacturer showed in November of the same year. Official pictures of the camouflaged prototype were released in August 2022, and the first teasers for the production version appeared earlier this month. Now the company has unveiled the exterior and interior of the large SUV.
On the photo: Kia EV9
As expected earlier, in the design of the exterior of the flagship Kia crossover, a lot was borrowed from the concept, the model has retained the proportions. The commercial version also has a similar plug, reminiscent of the branded “tiger nose”, vertical headlight blocks and diode broken lines of running lights. A laconic air intake is integrated into the lower part of the front bumper.
In profile, fenders with “sharp” stampings, “squared” wheel arches, recessed door handles, darkened pillars are visible, due to which the effect of a “floating” roof is created. Unlike the concept, instead of side cameras, the serial electric car has traditional rear-view mirrors. The crossover was equipped with two-tone wheels, which have an aerodynamic design.
The stern of the commercial Kia EV9 also has a few differences from the show car. Lanterns, for example, remained almost the same, although they became a little wider due to additional sections. A brake light was added to the edge of the spoiler in the upper part of the tailgate, and reflectors were added to the lower part of the rear bumper. There is also a shark fin antenna on the roof.
The Korean manufacturer has also declassified the three-row interior of the flagship crossover Kia EV9. The car will be offered in configurations designed for either six or seven riders (the second row can be either a sofa for three or a pair of individual chairs). At the same time, the second row seats can rotate 180 degrees, as a result, passengers can interact with those who are located on the rear double sofa.
The front panel is less futuristic compared to the concept, but the interior has remained about the same horizontally located display, which combines a virtual “tidy” with a diagonal of 12.3 inches and the same size touchscreen of the infotainment system. Between them is a 5-inch screen, probably allowing you to control the air conditioner.The cabin has a two-tone finish, ambient lighting, a traditional round steering wheel (the concept had a «steering wheel»), geometric-patterned audio system speakers, and a place for wireless charging of gadgets on the central tunnel.
For now, most of the specifications are still under wraps. It is known that the flagship Kia crossover is based on the E-GMP platform, created specifically for electric cars of the Korean concern (Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 are based on the same “cart”). Information about the dimensions of the commodity SUV was also not made public. Recall that the prototype length is 4930 mm, width — 2055 mm, height — 1790 mm, and the distance between the axles — 3100 mm. It was also previously reported that the Harbinger has a range of 483 km on a single charge. premiere Kia EV9 will be held at the end of this month. It is expected that the production of new items will start in the fall of 2023, and this large electric crossover will go on sale towards the end of the year.