Kia says that it is completing the final testing phases of its upcoming EV9 flagship SUV, which is set to make its official debut in the first quarter of 2023.
Kia been working away on the EV9 SUV for three and a half years, and now it’s to the point where engineers have been putting prototypes through their paces at the Namyang R&D centre in its home country of Korea.
The EV9 has been subjected to everything from 4WD tests on hill climbs, rough terrain tests, deep-water wading, Belgian cobblestones and high-speed handling tests on the track.
Kia’s EV9 is a large fully electric SUV, and while Kia is yet to confirm specifics, the EV9 concept that was revealed late last year rode on the E-GMP platform that measured in at 4930mm long, 2055mm wide, 1790mm high and featured a wheelbase spanning 3100mm.
The concept, at least, offers a wheelbase far longer than the Sorento which measures in at 2815mm, and is 10mm longer than the Carnival people-mover.
The EV9 concept was unveiled with a driving range of 482km, while there was no mention of power and torque figures, although we could see a battery pack taken from the EV6 rated at 77.4kWh, an even larger lithium-ion pack could help keep up with the weight of the large SUV theme.
Considering that Kia has confirmed an all-wheel drive system for the EV9, a dual-motor system is all but confirmed in order to kick out power to all fours.
Kia says more details on its EV9 SUV will emerge closer to its official launch in the first quarter of next year. The EV9 is one of 14 all-new electric vehicles on the way before 2027.
