7 things Kia did differently with the new EV9

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Kia lifts. Not only in sales figures, but also in the positioning of the brand, which will play the sporty, dynamic subsidiary of parent company Hyundai in the future. With the recently launched battery-powered EV9 in XXL format, the South Korean automaker is now taking the next step. Blick knows the most important innovations.

The family van is dead – long live the family van, it’s just on a whole new level. While the classic seven-seaters are slowly but surely disappearing from the model lines, the idea of ​​a large family car is being revived in the EV9. However, with its SUV format and therefore a high seating position, it is a concept that should find fans from Japan to China, from Europe to California. Especially in North American markets, a certain size is required even for customers to notice a model: the production version of the EV9 is now just over five meters long, almost two meters wide and 1.76 meters high.

Where’s the tiger nose? That’s what Kia jargon called the trapezoidal front grille with recesses at the top and bottom. But a Stromer doesn’t need a coolant like a petrol engine – and so the tiger’s nose is now a tiger’s nose, with only two black tips on its normally flat front. Designers around ex-BMW designer Karim Habib cleaned up in other ways, too: angular fenders, unusual four-piece wheels, plus a glasshouse like a giant airplane cockpit, and many straight lines subvert the previous Kia design. The lines of the daytime running lights are reminiscent of even the US premium brand Cadillac – not a bad connotation to put Kia in a higher position in the US.

Those who say minibus should also say the variability: Just folding the rear seat backrests does not make a family happy. So, depending on the configuration, the second-row seats in the seven-seat three-row seats can rotate 180 degrees – practical for gaming if stomachs take charge on long trips. Shuttle services should also like this seating trick. Child seats that can be rotated 90 degrees can also be easily installed. During the charging breaks, the front and middle seats extend to the sofa and you fall asleep while the battery is charging.

Like the EV6, the EV9 is based on 800-volt technology, and this is contributed by Croatian electric sports company Rimac – aptly named Kia’s mother Hyundai has a ten percent stake here. There will likely be three rides to start in the fall: the basic, rear-wheel drive version with 218 hp (160 kW) and the smaller battery with 76.1 kilowatt hours (kWh). The long-range version only comes with 204 hp (150 kW), but comes with a larger battery with a capacity of 99.8 kWh for a range of up to 541 kilometers. The top version with all-wheel drive and 384 hp (283 kW) also carries a large battery; In terms of performance, no family van could match this.

The hype surrounding autonomous driving has cooled. But at least Kia now comes with piloted driving technology. This means that the car does not do everything on its own, but with its assistance systems it can take on many driving functions under certain conditions. The EV9 comes with 15 sensors, including two laser sensors that scan the environment 360 degrees. Depending on the driving situation, it is possible to let go of the steering wheel for short distances in narrowly defined conditions. In autonomous driving jargon, Level 3 is 3 out of 5 overall.

New cars keep themselves up to date via software updates over the mobile network. The EV9 can do that too. But while many brands have so far updated their comfort functions, navigation systems or battery charging programs, the EV9 can optionally be ordered with an additional 100 Newton meters of torque. It’s not more power in terms of hp though: it would technically be possible, but it’s not yet allowed in Europe because full power is specified in the vehicle registration document. And it cannot be optionally updated.

Finished leather: The new EV9 has more sustainable and environmentally friendly materials, because the targeted CO₂– Neutrality cannot be achieved until 2045. By 2030, Kia wants to increase the recycled plastic rate in its models to 20 percent. Also, there are more interiors made from organic materials or natural oils, such as corn and sugarcane waste, rather than petroleum-based plastic.

Source: Blick