Kia Motors has today (22 November) revealed the electric SUV EV9 GT in the global market. This is an updated version of the standard EV9. It gets a more powerful motor setup and cosmetic and mechanical updates as compared to the standard EV9. The car generates 501HP of power.
The company claims that the car can accelerate from 0-96 kmph in just 4.3 seconds and is the most powerful three-row electric SUV ever. The EV9 GT will first be available for sale in North America next year. After this it will be sold in other countries.
For safety, it has features like 9 airbags, and 360-degree camera, and level-2 ADAS. The company has introduced the car in GT trim only with a 6-seater layout. After its launch in India, the Kia EV9 GT will compete with the Mercedes EQE SUV, BMW IX, and Audi Q8 e-tron.
Kia EV9 Exterior Design: Digital pattern lighting grille
Kia has made some cosmetic changes to make the EV9 GT look different from the standard model. The front of the Kia EV9 features modern LED lighting elements. Here you get the signature ‘Digital Tiger Face’ with dual clusters of small cube lamps, digital pattern lighting grille, vertical headlamps and ‘star map’ LED DRLs. The company has named it Star Map DRL.
On the side of the flagship SUV, the company has replaced the 19-inch alloy wheels with 21-inch alloy wheels and high-performance tires. Upgraded brakes with neon green GT-badged calipers have been provided inside the wheel. In addition to this, designers have incorporated a tapered roof line, flush type door handles, gloss finish wheel arches, and body cladding.
At the same time, the rear has a black bumper with vertically stacked LED taillight and silver skid plate. The overall look of the car is boxy and SUV body shape.
Kia EV9 Interior: Triple integrated screen setup
The cabin of the car has bright green accents on the steering wheel and seats. Along with this, dark gray and black leatherette upholstery is available on the seats. GT-exclusive trim is also given on the dashboard. There is a black finish floating dashboard here, on which a triple integrated screen setup is available. It includes two 12.3-inch screens and a 5.3-inch climate control display.
Vertical hidden-type touch-input controls are provided on the dashboard below the central screen for start-stop, climate control, ventilation system, media, and other settings. Apart from this, features like an individual sunroof, digital inside rearview mirror (IRVM), and 64-color ambient lighting are also provided for the front and second row of the car. The EV9 GT features captain seats in the second row, which you can power adjust in 8 ways and enjoy with a massage function.
Performance: 0-96kph in 4.3 seconds with 501hp of power
For performance, the electric SUV gets a 215hp motor on the front axle and a 362hp unit on the rear axle. Together, they generate 501hp of power. This is 122hp more than the standard model EV9 GT-Line. Kia claims that the car can accelerate from 0-96kph in just 4.3 seconds.
The EV9 GT also features Kia’s Virtual Gear Shift (VGS) technology, which is similar to the technology in the Hyundai Ioniq-5 N. It basically mimics the sound and feel of a conventional ICE car with simulated engine noise, gear shifts and torque cuts.
It gets multiple drive-assist technologies and a Tesla-style North American Charging Standard (NACS) port. This allows the EV9 to be charged on Tesla’s Supercharger. According to Kia, the EV9 GT can be charged from 10-80% in 25 minutes. However, the Korean brand has not revealed the battery pack and range details.
