Kia’s large electric SUV has been caught undergoing road testing, ahead of its unveiling in the coming months.
The 2023 Kia EV9 has been spied in pre-production form, months after it was shown as a concept by the Korean car maker.
YouTube channel Goodman TV posted a video showing still images of the EV9 on the roads of South Korea, as Kia tests an early prototype of the all-electric model.
In March, digital artist Hitekro created renderings of what a production EV9 could look like based on the concept car unveiled in November.
The EV9 is expected to be a three-row SUV, offering comparable space and comfort to a people mover – but luggage space will be increased over other large SUVs in the segment, thanks to the model having a large front boot where an internal combustion engine would normally reside.
Like the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5, the EV9 will also be a twin under the skin to the Hyundai Ioniq 7 – both of which will be underpinned by Hyundai’s E-GMP platform.
Both models will be offered as battery-powered alternatives to full-size SUVs such as the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol, and could potentially offer some off-road capability thanks to the instantaneous torque delivered from electric motors.
The exact specifications of those e-motors has yet to be released, but its driving range is expected to near 540km. A 0-100km/h sprint time of around five seconds is also expected.
A Level 3 autonomous driving system called Highway Driving Pilot (HDP) is said to be offered on the EV9, as well as over-the-air (OTA) software updates and features-on-demand (FoD) – the latter of which will allow owners to select, download and pay for features based on a subscription model.
Information claiming to have been leaked from the company’s Sohari factory in March suggests the 2023 Kia EV9 will begin production in April of next year, after the model makes its public debut this September.
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