The 2024 Kia EV9 is the seven-seater SUV Americans who didn't want a pricey Rivian R1S or a cramped Tesla Model Y have been waiting for. It's finally happening: the starting price has just been disclosed, and some deliveries will happen until the end of the year. But there's something you need to know.
Kia announced that the boxy three-row EV9 will have a pre-tax and -freight price of $54,900. That's the starting cost for the rear-wheel-drive EV9 Light. The zero-tailpipe emission SUV will come as standard with leather-trimmed seats, 19-inch wheels, power-adjustable driver's seat, and heated and ventilated front seats.
The single-motor EV9 Light will have an output of 215 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. The first units are expected to arrive stateside starting next month. They'll be imported from South Korea.
The power figure tells us that the EV9 Light will have a battery of 76.1 kWh.
The vehicle can be charged at 350-kW dispensers from 10% to 80% in as little as 25 minutes. You might need them because the range is estimated at 225 miles. But a larger 99.8-kWh energy storage unit is going to be available, which could be more suited for most Americans' driving needs.
Kia will bring the EV9 Light Long Range, EV9 Wind, EV9 Land, and EV9 GT-Line next year, when the assembly is also supposed to start at the brand's plant in West Point, Georgia. That will help the brand align with the Inflation Reduction Act's requirements.
Kia EV9 measures 197.2 inches in length, 70 inches in height, and 77.9 inches in width. It has a 122-inch wheelbase.
The all-electric vehicle will come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. It'll also include a plethora of advanced driver-assistance systems, a digital key, a wireless phone charger, and two 12.3-inch screens plus a five-inch climate control display. Fret not; physical controls will be on the vehicle, too.
Photo: Kia
As things stand today, the EV9 will not be a threat to Rivian's R1S until the Land and GT-line trims start popping out. It might also not steal much market share from Tesla because its cheapest Model Y ($50,490 MSRP) has all-wheel drive and an EPA-estimated range of 330 miles. It's also eligible for the full EV tax credit.
Kia also refuses to say anything about adopting the NACS port or at least improving compatibility with the Supercharger network, but it's understandable. Its EVs boast the 800V architecture, whereas Tesla's and many other EVs don't.
The entry-level Kia EV9 doesn't really look like a very good competitor in the all-electric auto space. It's a large vehicle that will have to carry around people and cargo at times. The range will also be impacted by weather, so the cheapest EV9 starts to make little sense pretty fast, especially since there's no word about siding with Tesla's charging network and connector.
Customers who have families and don't want a gas-powered or hybrid minivan might look at higher trims, which will be more expensive. If the EV9 nears R1S territory in its GT-Line trim, it might lose big.
Besides that, Kia doesn't play by the direct sales rulebook. Its efforts could be hindered by greedy middlemen who will make this EV unjustifiably expensive.
Time will tell. Kia surely has a lot of work ahead of it because the North American market is very important to the brand. It didn't find success in China and Japan, so it must focus on the US, Canadian, and European markets to thrive as we move toward a totally electrified future.
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
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