SEOUL, South Korea – When the Kia EV9 arrives in U.S. showrooms this year, the new all-electric three-row crossover will take the South Korean brand into uncharted territory as its new flagship.
Kia wants the EV9 to move its image up-market while also reeling in customers from rivals.
The strategy seems to be working in South Korea, where deliveries began June 21. At home, the EV9 racked up 13,000 preorders in its first eight days. And about 60 percent of those orders came from customers new to the brand. Normally, that ratio stands around 40 percent.
Kia Corp. will be banking on similar magic in the U.S., which it pegs as the EV9’s biggest market.
Kia has such high hopes for its third EV, that it is retooling its plant in West Point, Ga., to start U.S. production of the 2024 EV9 next summer. Until then, the EV9 will be imported from Korea.
The roomy interior, which sits up to seven, should land the EV9 on plenty of shopping lists stateside. So should its 800-volt charging, 99.8-kWh battery option and all-wheel-drive layout. Here are five cool EV9 features discovered on a cross-country test drive this month in South Korea.
