Kia EV9 SUV to come with a range of 541km and Level 3 ADAS tech

Kia has now announced specifications, range and other details of the EV9, just after revealing the exterior details of the full-size born-EV SUV. The EV9 was showcased in India earlier this year at Auto Expo 2023 as a concept.

Apart from revealing the specifications and range, Kia has also taken the wraps off the EV9 GT-Line variant that has slightly sportier looks than its standard counterpart.

Kia EV9 dimensions, powertrain options
The Kia EV9 SUV measures 5,010mm in length and has a wheelbase of 3,100mm, which makes it almost as long as the standard-length Range Rover. The EV9, however, has a longer wheelbase than the British SUV, thanks to its E-GMP skateboard electric platform.

The entry-level version will come with a 76.1kWh battery will be offered select global markets. There will be a 99.8kWh, 800V battery netting a range of up to 541 kilometres between charges and capable of gaining 238 kilometres of range in just 15 minutes. 

Additionally, Kia will also offer the EV9 with RWD and 203hp that gets from 0-100kph in 9.4sec; and a dual-motor version bumping that up to 383hp and 599Nm, trading some range for a rapid 6.0sec 0-100kph time. Kia will also introduce an EV9 GT Performance variant that will be reveled at a later date.

For now, the range-topping variant is the ‘assertive’ EV9 GT-Line, marked out by its bespoke bumpers, wheels and roof rails – together with the dynamic LED patterns in the front ‘grille’ panel previewed by the EV9 concept.

Kia EV9: tech on offer, design details
The EV9 will be available after launch in certain markets with a new "highway driving pilot" system that uses 15 sensors (including two Lidar devices) to offer level-three autonomous driving “where conditions permit”. 

With regards to its silhouette and definitive design cues, the production-spec EV9 remains heavily faithful to the radical concept Kia showed first at Los Angeles in 2021, but rides noticeably closer to the ground – courtesy of a much thicker battery pack and 21-inch wheels in place of the concept’s 23s (19-inch and 20-inch items will be available) – and has softened out some of the show car’s sharpest edges.

But ultimately, the EV9 is much more recognisably a dedicated SUV than the rakish, low-slung EV6. It gets chunky black body cladding (available in gloss or matte) and clearly defined, two-box silhouette, while highlighting some of the more non-conventional cues that nod to the EV9’s electric underpinnings.

Some of the EV9's defining cues that will go on to influence future models include the distinctive trapezoidal creases on its rear quarters, its visibly stretched greenhouse (possible due to the lack of an engine), kinked rear window line, selection of striking new wheel designs and – most obviously – its ‘star map’ LED light signatures at the front and rear.