Kia has launched the Kia EV9 electric SUV in India at Rs 1.3 crore (ex-showroom). As the most expensive Kia car and sitting above the Kia EV6 in Kia’s Indian portfolio, the Kia EV9 is now the flagship of the Korean carmaker. The Kia EV9 will come as CBUs and be offered in a 6-seater layout. Here is everything you need to know about the Kia EV9.
Kia EV9: Design & Dimensions
Measuring 5,015 mm in length, 1,980 mm in width, 1,780 mm in height, and with a wheelbase of 3,100 mm, the Kia EV9 is a huge SUV. Barring the curvy bonnet, the overall design of the Kia EV9 is sharp and clean. The front highlights the typical closed-off grille with an illuminated digital pattern and ice cube LED projection headlamps. On the side, the blacked-out pentagonal wheel arches and black cladding at the bottom give the EV9 some muscles. At the rear, the EV9 gets vertical LED tail lamps with a clean tailgate, a spoiler, and a dual-tone bumper with a skid plate.
Kia EV9: Interior & Features
On the inside, much like the latest Kia Carnival, the EV9 gets two connected curved 12.3-inch touchscreens: one for the infotainment and the other for the digital instrument cluster. The interior theme is dual-tone brown and black and it gets a four-spoke steering wheel with an illuminated logo, some storage space under the centre console, and some physical buttons positioned below the AC vents in the middle.
Available with a 6-seater layout as standard, the EV9 gets captain seats in the second row. Its feature package consists of electric adjustment and massage function with adjustable leg support for the second row, three-zone automatic climate control, two single-pane sunroofs, a head-up display, a digital inside rearview mirror, a 14-speaker Meridian sound system, a digital key, OTA updates, Kia Connect connected-car tech, and more. The EV9 also offers Vehicle-to-load charging, which means not only can you charge your electric appliances like laptops or mobiles inside the cabin, but also charge other EVs via the charge port.
In terms of safety equipment, the Kia EV9 offers 10 airbags, ESC, hill descent control, and vehicle stability management. It also gets parking sensors at the front, side and rear, all-wheel disc brakes, and a 360-degree camera. Its Level 2 ADAS safety suite offers a range of autonomous features such as Forward Collision Warning and Avoidance Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, High Beam Assist, Lane Keep Assist, and more.
Kia EV9: Battery & Range
The India-spec Kia EV9 comes equipped with a 99.8 kWh battery pack which powers two electric motors for an all-wheel-drive configuration. The combined output of both motors is 390 PS power and 700 Nm peak torque, which can make the SUV sprint from 0-100 km/hr in 5.3 seconds. The Kia EV9 offers an ARAI-certified range of 561km and the battery can be topped up from 10 to 80 percent in 24 minutes with a 350kW DC fast charger.
Kia EV9: Price & Rivals
Priced at Rs 1.3 Cr (ex-showroom), the Kia EV9 doesn’t have any direct rival in India. However, it can be considered an alternative to luxury electric SUVs such as the Mercedes EQS SUV (Rs 1.62 Cr), EQE SUV (1.39 Cr), BMW iX (1.4 Cr), and Audi Q8 e-tron (1.15 – 1.27 Cr).
