Kia’s all-new all-electric EV9 flagship SUV has made its public North American debut at the New York Auto Show. The new EV9 will serve as Kia’s flagship model and we’re finally getting a close-up look at what U.S. customers can expect when it goes on sale later this year.
We’ve covered the EV9 in just about every way possible since Kia debuted its concept version back in 2021. Since then, it’s slowly but steadily taken steps toward full-scale production. We’ve already detailed international versions and configurations too.
Two Battery And Two Motor Configurations
Live photos Mike Gauthier/Carscoops
At launch, Kia will offer the EV9 in the U.S. and Canada with two different battery packs to choose from. The standard or base version features a 76.1 kWh pack mated to a single 215 hp (160 kW) motor on the rear axle. Kia doesn’t say how much torque it makes but if it matches the international edition expect it to twist at 258 lb-ft (350 Nm).
Above that is a 99.8 kWh battery pack you can pair with two powertrain options. The first features a rear-mounted motor only, which produces 201 HP (150 kW) in the international-spec model. The second option is a dual-motor setup, known as the GT-Line, which offers torque vectoring and produces a combined 379 hp (283 kW) and 516 lb-ft (698 Nm) of torque. Kia says that the EV9 will feature a 5,000-pound maximum towing capacity, though we don’t know which motor and battery combo that will require.
More: High-Performance Kia EV9 GT Confirmed For 2025
As we previously reported, Kia is also working on an ever more powerful GT variant that will be released in early 2025. While no specific details were announced during the presentation, it’s believed to borrow the EV6 GT’s dual-motor all-wheel drive setup that delivers 576 hp (429 kW) and 545 lb-ft (738 Nm) of torque.
As the EV9 is based on Kia’s E-GMP platform, both batteries benefit from an 800-volt architecture and maximum DC Level 3 charging speeds of 240kW. An onboard 11kW charger helps to speed up Level 2 charging as well. Kia says that the battery can go from 10 percent to 80 percent in under 25 minutes when hooked up to a Level 3 charger.
Like other all-electric models in the lineup, the Kia EV9 features Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) charging ability too. That enables customers to power external devices like TVs, speakers, and more when the vehicle is parked.
Available Later This Year
The new Kia EV9 will go on sale in the fourth quarter of this year in the U.S. with local assembly in West Point, Georgia to begin in 2024. For the time being, we don’t know the specific trim levels it will be available or any pricing details. Kia also hasn’t announced any EPA-rated range figures.
What we do know is the larger battery pack combined with the single rear motor has a targeted range of 300 miles. We can also confirm that all trim levels of the EV9 (of which we believe there will be four or five) will feature four driving modes. Those include Eco, Normal, Sport, and a customizable My Mode.
