Is this Kia’s LandCruiser rival?

Kia has provided a tantalising glimpse at its future with the presentation of a whole new family of electrified vehicles – one of which is a flagship large SUV that could rival the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol.

A shadowy image of the all-new large SUV was shown today during Kia’s strategy-shifting media conference in Seoul, where the Korean car-maker reaffirmed its commitment to releasing at least seven dedicated EVs by 2027.

A separate teaser image shows the large SUV in among other members of the forthcoming electric vehicle family, with the number of models lined up totalling nine – two more than the seven Kia has already confirmed.

During the presentation, Kia’s global design chief Karim Habib confirmed the new zero-emissions family would incorporate nine models, running from EV1 through to EV9, so it stands to reason that the latter refers to the flagship SUV – which has a silhouette that looks uncannily similar to the current Nissan Patrol.

In describing the different segments Kia will tackle with the EV family, Habib said “a strong and bold SUV” was in the mix.

A high-performance all-electric hot hatch is in there, too.

The new Kia EVs will be based on the Hyundai Group’s electric global modular platform (E-GMP) that will also underpin Hyundai’s IONIQ range of vehicles – one of which is confirmed as being the IONIQ 7 large SUV that will launch in 2024.

So you can expect the Kia EV9 to arrive around the same time and have plenty in common with the IONIQ 7.

There is every likelihood that advanced new plug-in hybrid powertrains will be developed in parallel with the battery-electric program, potentially pairing two electric motors with the Hyundai Group’s new 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel engine (204kW/588Nm) that made its debut in the Genesis GV80 large SUV.

For several years, Kia and Hyundai have separately made no secret of their desire to offer customers an upper-large 4WD to take on the Toyota LandCruiser, Prado and Nissan Patrol.

We’ve already seen the Hyundai Palisade burst onto the scene in Australia, and Kia Australia push for a right-hand drive version of the Kia Telluride (to no avail, at this stage).

The local operations of both Korean brands are also hoping to get their hands on a more rugged three-row large SUV based on a heavier-duty ladder-frame chassis that will also underpin their all-new one-tonne utes that are due here in the next few years.

The Toyota LandCruiser (wagon and ute) finished fifth among Australia’s top-selling vehicles in 2020, despite being 13 years old and set for replacement this year with the new-generation Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series.