Kia has launched the EV9 GT line in India at ₹1.3 crore. This is Kia’s second electric vehicle in India after the EV6. The EV9 is an SUV body-style vehicle and the first three-row seat flagship SUV. Kia is focussing on more premium audiences with this car along with moving forward with their environment sustainability goals. The SUV is made on the G-EMP platform which allows for a flat battery pack placement, lowering its centre of gravity. Let us take a look at the EV9 in more detail.
The EV9 carries the concept that comes from Kia’s ‘opposites united’ design philosophy. It embodies the SUV shape with a combination of elements from nature as well as those that are manufactured. The vehicle has a 3100mm wheelbase and an overall length of 5-metres. It stands 1980mm wide and 1755mm tall, making it among the larger SUVs available in India.
The signature tiger face in the front carries the digital pattern lighting grille DRLs with LED projection headlamps with ice cube design. Several other design elements like the wheels, sculpted underbody, air curtain on the front bumper, have helped the EV9 achieve an aerodynamic coefficient of 0.28. This will help in its efficiency and performance. The EV9 rides on 20-inch crystal-cut alloy wheels and has a ground clearance of 198mm.
The EV9 offers three rows of seating with the second row as captain seats with eight-way power adjustments. These captain seats also have a relaxation and massage function. You also get a dual sunroof, each placed above the first and second row of seating. The display screen is one panoramic unit which divides the instrument cluster and the infotainment screen into two 12.3-inch screens. There is also a 5-inch HVAC control screen separately. All software updates happen wirelessly through over the air updates. The IVRM is an integrated digital screen which displays the rear view from the camera behind.
In addition to this, the car gets 360-degree camera and boasts of level-2 ADAS with 27 autonomous features, including forward collision warning, blind spot collision warning, high beam assist, safe exit assist, lane keep and departure assist. The audio system is a 14-speaker Meridian system with active sound design.
The EV9 gets a battery capacity of 99.8kWh, which makes it good for a range of 561km as tested by ARAI. The battery supports DC 350kW fast charging and using that, 10 per cent to 80 per cent can be achieved in 24 minutes. The battery generates 379bhp of power and 700Nm of torque and drives all four wheels. The claimed 0-100kmph time is 5.3 seconds.
The Kia EV9 is available in 5 colours in India - Snow White Pearl, Panthera Metal, Pebble Gray, Aurora Black Pearl and Ocean Blue. It is also 5-star safety rated by GNCAP and gets 10 airbags. Kia claims for this to be the most sophisticated vehicle they have ever built. It was awarded the World Car of the Year in 2023. The EV9 will also be available with leasing options.