Kia has once again teased the reveal of its upcoming EV9, which is slated to sit alongside the smaller Kia EV6. This is the second time the Kia EV9 has been shown off by the South Korean carmaker, but Kia is still being coy about its new BEV ahead of its full debut at the 2021 LA Auto Show. That kicks off next week.
Kia says that it will show off the car specifically at AutoMobility LA on November 17, though that’s a part of the larger overall event. For now, all we’re getting are concept images that hint at what the new BEV will look like:
Again, this is going to be the bigger stablemate of the EV6 crossover, and it’s supposed to round out the fully-electric options from Kia for those who’d prefer an SUV. You can almost think of this like the electric successor to the Telluride.
The Kia EV9 is going to be built on the new E-GMP, or Electric-Global Modular, platform. You might recall that same platform will also underpin the EV6 and two other BEVs from Hyundai that we’ve seen so far, the Ioniq 5 and the Ioniq 7. But that still only accounts for four models from that shared platform, and the carmakers expect that another seven electric cars could come from it, for a total of 11 BEVs that will be released from 2022 to 2026.
There’s no details from the carmaker about the EV9’s range or drivetrain yet, but given the shared platform it’s possible that there will be options between a single or dual-motor setup, for an all-wheel drive BEV.
And as important as the concept’s design is on the outside, I want to talk a little about the minimalist interior. Thanks, Kia, I hate it. I really hope this is just another case of designers being designers and mocking up a clean render. Otherwise, that is one stark cabin with little-to-no warmth.
I can live with Kia’s avant-garde squiggly LEDs, which I’m not too fond of on models like the K5, but I am not onboard with the flat buttons on the dash. I’m also not a big fan of the yoke here.
I mean, maybe it’s not technically a yoke steering wheel because it’s a design that goes all the way around, but it looks just as silly and unusable. We’ll see on the day of its full unveil if this is a livable cabin or not.
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