Range-topping Kia EV9 caught testing on track
KIA is getting ready to crown its electric line-up with a new large SUV, called the EV9, and we’ve spotted the car undergoing development on track.
The brand’s production-spec EV9 was previewed by the Concept EV9 prototype at last year’s LA Motor Show, and we can see from these latest spy shots that the road-going car will sport similar sharp and solid surfaces along its flanks.
The EV9 looks set to also carry over the concept’s lighting signature with vertical LEDs at the extremes of the car’s front, while at the rear the upright tail-lights sit on the flared wheelarches to allow for a wider boot opening to boost practicality.
The production car should offer seating for seven people and we’d expect it to feature the Korean firm’s twin-screen infotainment set-up and innovative
Multi-mode panel which alters the interface for the climate and audio.
The EV9 will be based on Hyundai-Kia’s E-GMP platform for EVs. The architecture currently accepts a battery up to 77.4kWh in the firm’s EV6 crossover, which offers up to 328 miles of range. But given the extra length in the EV9’s wheelbase, its less aerodynamic shape and likely higher kerbweight, the battery size could be increased to ensure a competitive range. With 800V electronics, expect a rapidcharge capability that will add 62 miles of range in just five minutes. The battery could feed a dual-motor all-wheel-drive set-up offering 321bhp, as per the EV6.
Kia has confirmed the EV9 will go on sale in the UK next year, so expect the car to be unveiled towards the end of this year or early in 2023.