Kia EV9 teased ahead of upcoming debut

The 2023 Kia EV9 is now only a matter of weeks away from its global debut, with Kia officially locking in a “late March” world debut and releasing a pair of new teaser clips to mark the occasion.

Previous spy images and videos captured by pros and members of the public have already given us an extensive look at Kia’s upcoming large electric SUV flagship, but the new videos are some of the most revealing official materials released since the Kia Concept EV9 was shown at last year’s LA motor show.

The two clips showcase the EV9’s space-age lighting signatures and expansive silhouette, further underlining the fact the big battery-powered seven-seat wagon will look like nothing else on the road, including the smaller EV6 ‘SUV’.

“The name, EV9, comes from Kia’s EV nomenclature, pairing the prefix ‘EV’ (electric vehicle) with the number ‘9’ (nine), which represents the model’s segment among Kia’s dedicated electric vehicle line-up,” said Kia.

“Kia will fully reveal both the exterior and interior design in mid-March, and the product information will be fully disclosed during the Kia EV9 World Premiere in late March.”

Some family resemblance might be shared between it and the pending Kia Sorento facelift, but Kia has been clear from the start that the EV9 will be the brand’s absolute flagship in all global markets, so it makes sense for the big SUV to be instantly recognisable.

This flagship positioning has led to speculations of a circa-$90,000 starting price Down Under and we won’t actually have to wait all that long to find out, given Kia Australia has previously confirmed the EV9 will be released here in the fourth quarter of this year.

Expected to be roughly the same size as the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, the EV9 will comfortably dwarf the Sorento to become the biggest Kia model offered in Australia.

Underpinned by the same e-GMP architecture as the established EV6 and the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6, Kia’s biggest EV is likely to come with single- and dual-motor powertrains outputting between 168kW/350Nm and 239kW/605Nm as per the EV6.

However, higher outputs could well be on the cards given the EV9’s obvious size (and weight) and its status as a brand flagship.

Expect most variants from launch to be powered by the same 77.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack as seen in the other e-GMP models, delivering a maximum effective range of up to about 470km.

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