Kia says that the first examples of its battery-electric flagship, the EV9, are beginning to roll off the production line ahead of its Australian launch in the third quarter of 2023.
Over the past 12 months, Kia has been trickling out information on the EV9’s platform, clever charging technologies and the flexible cabin design, so there’s little we don’t already know in Kia’s latest release- other than the fact that production is underway.
As a reminder, the EV9’s E-GMP platform measures in at 5010mm long, 1980mm wide and has a wheelbase spanning 3100mm in total, making it slightly smaller than the Kia Carnival while offering a longer wheelbase figure.
This translates to a heap of space inside the cabin for seven people, with boot space figures of 571L, even with the third row of seats standing.
The EV9 will be optioned as a seven- and six-seater, the latter of which picks up a set of second-row seats that can swivel 180 degrees.
Power for the EV9 comes supplied by a 99.8kWh battery pack, with three choices of powertrains on offer for buyers, including a rear-wheel-drive entry-point producing 150kW/350Nm, and two AWD GT-Line variants producing at least 283kW/600Nm.
Range figures stand at 541km for the entry-level EV9, with the platform picking up vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality offering up to 3.68kW of electricity while camping or on the move, as well as bi-directional charging.
With the help of 800-volt architecture, the EV9 can fast-charge the equivalent of 239km in the space of just 15 minutes with access to the right charger.
Kia is set to confirm prices and a more detailed specifications list closer to the EV9’s Australian arrival in 2024.
