Kia is Eying a Much Hotter EV9 GT
One of the more popular selling points for new EVs is the massive amount of almost instant torque they deliver, making some models shockingly quick off the line. The Kia EV6 GT is one of them, offering near-supercar levels of acceleration at a premium SUV price, and the automaker appears poised to try that formula again with its larger EV9. Kia recently detailed some of the SUV’s performance, saying that it will land early next year with “enormous power.”
The EV9 GT is expected to run from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in under four seconds, which would make it one of the quickest three-row family haulers around. Its almost 6,000-pound curb weight would require a significant increase over the 379 horsepower that some current variants offer, though Kia hasn’t offered more details on specs.
Kia’s product roadmap also includes a revised EV6 later in 2024. The EV is now a few years old, making it ripe for an update. Also expected is a performance EV5 GT, though that model is currently only seen in Chinese government documentation. The smaller, five-door hatchback EV3 will land soon but isn’t coming to the United States.
While a hot EV9 would be interesting, it likely won’t be affordable. It’s easy to spend almost $80,000 on the current EV9, and a performance bump would almost certainly come with a significant price hike. Impressive specs or not, $90,000 or more for a Kia would be a hard sell for Americans, who typically only want to shell out that kind of money for beefy domestic-branded SUVs.
[Image: Kia]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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Minivan Grand Tourer... yes really we needed that.
They are trying to compete straight across with the BMW iX and Volvo EX90 on price. With a Kia (Boyz) badge. Good luck with that.
In the $65k range there would be a case.
“enormous power.” I guess ludicrous power must have been taken already. Where's the shazzbot power?
If this is sold in America at 90k it will be bolted to the dealer lots. If 60k to 90k ICE full size crew cab pickups are not selling as well this definitely will not sell. Also 90k for a KIa is ridiculous.