Kia has launched the EV9 electric SUV in India at Rs 1.3 crore, but only the fully loaded GT-Line variant is being made available. The EV9 is being brought through the CBU route and is now Kia’s flagship offering in the country, sitting above the EV6.
At the front, the Kia EV9 gets vertically-stacked LED headlamps at the front with L-shaped DRLs and a closed-off grille with integrated digital pattern lighting. The rear-end features vertical LED tail lamps with a rather clean tailagte, a spoiler and a dual-tone bumper with a skid plate. The SUV measures 5,015mm in length, 1,980mm in width, stands 1,780mm tall and has a wheelbase of 3,100mm.
Inside the cabin, the EV9 features a dual-screen display housing a 12.3-inch touchscreen and a similarly sized digital instrument cluster. It gets a four-spoke steering wheel with an illuminated logo, storage space under the centre console, along with physical controls placed right below the middle AC vents. Kia is offering the EV9 with a dual-tone Brown and Black interior colourway.
The EV9 gets a standard six-seat layout. The second-row seats are captain chairs with features such as electric adjustment, massage function and adjustable leg support. Other features include a 12.3-inch touchscreen, a similarly sized instrument cluster, three-zone climate control, dual electric sunroofs, a head-up display, a digital inside rear-view mirror, vehicle-to-load functionality, a 14-speaker Meridian audio system, a digital key, OTA updates, the latest version of Kia Connect connected-car tech and much more.
On the safety front, the e-SUV is equipped with 10 airbags, ESC, downhill brake control, vehicle stability management, parking sensors on front, side and rear, all-wheel disc brakes, a 360-degree camera and Level 2 ADAS features such as Forward Collision Warning and Avoidance Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, High Beam Assist, Lane Keep Assist, and so on.
The India-spec EV9 gets a 99.8kWh battery pack sending power to the dual electric motors for an all-wheel-drive configuration. The two electric motors produce a combined 384hp and 700Nm of peak torque, helping the SUV dash from 0-100kph in 5.3 seconds. It offers an ARAI-certified range of 561km on a single full charge. The battery can be juiced up from 10-80 percent in 24 minutes with a 350kW DC fast charger.
The EV9 has no direct rivals in India, but it gives some competition to luxury electric SUVs such as Mercedes EQS SUV, EQS SUV, BMW iX and Audi Q8 e-tron.