The launch of the all-electric Kia EV9 is imminent; the vehicle is expected to go on sale later this year, or so we once believed. The recent spy photos showed vehicles that were in advanced testing phases but were still months away from going into production. If this most recent Kia EV9 sighting is accurate, the premiere will be much sooner than we anticipated.
The Kia EV9 debuted to the public for the first time at the 2021 LA Auto Show and is constructed on the same E-GMP platform as all-electric Kia, Hyundai, and Genesis cars. The award-winning Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the even more attractive Hyundai Ioniq 6 are built on this incredibly adaptable platform, as is the quickest Kia ever—the EV6 GT.
While the EV9’s specifications are yet unknown, a recent study of Telluride owners by Kia indicated the electric SUV will have a maximum towing capacity of about 4,500 lbs in the AWD trim and a range of up to 240 miles.
The EV9 was completely hidden and undergoing final tests when we last saw it in spy photos from last year. Kia even joined the bandwagon and provided its own images of the vehicle. If the latest Instagram post from CocheSpias1 is accurate, the Kia EV9 could be ready to make its appearance at any moment. Blink and you’ll miss the EV9 passing by in the brevity of the video below. A word of caution: lower the volume.
Despite the video’s generally poor quality, we can still pick out some elements and establish that it does seem to be the real deal. First, the headlights are actual production pieces; they differ greatly from the prototype’s, and we can only make out individual projector lenses. The wheels are then the same as the ones on the Kia prototype that was displayed.
Finally, the number plates seem to be authentic, though it’s difficult to make out specifics in the choppy, blurry video. Overall, there is no doubt that this is the Kia EV9, but is it the vehicle that is ready for production, or is it the prototype that we have seen numerous times before? Given that the latter has road-legal lights, wipers (prototypes don’t waste time on such detail), and license plates, we prefer to favor it.
The Kia EV9 is extremely significant for the entire Hyundai Motor Company since it serves as a preview of the Hyundai Ioniq 7, just like the Kia EV6 did before the Ioniq 5. The three vehicles, including the largest electric Genesis, will all be available in the US, where there is fierce competition for electric SUV sales.