Kia has teased the exterior of its upcoming EV9 large electric SUV ahead of its world premiere in late March.
The South Korean carmaker published some shadowy short videos and images that show off certain exterior elements of the production EV9.
Despite the mystery surrounding the design, we’ve seen spied prototypes for a number of months now and nacional.collector recently published low-resolution images of an uncamouflaged EV9 on Instagram.
Kia revealed the Concept EV9 in November 2021 which has an upright, boxy silhouette with wild concept-like features including suicide-opening doors and huge 22-inch wheels.
Although the latter two of these features don’t appear to have carried over to the production EV9, the overall silhouette is very similar.
At the front the EV9 has a redesigned version of its “Digital Tiger Face” grille with LED headlights that are made up of pixel-like dots.
Around the side there are physical side mirrors, flush door handles, and boxy wheel arches.
At the rear there are slim LED lights that almost stretch the entire length of the tailgate.
We’re yet to see any images of the production EV9’s interior, but the concept had three rows of seats, a 27-inch infotainment display and an unusual steering wheel with touch-sensitive buttons.
As previously reported, the Kia EV9 is set to arrive in Australia late in 2023.
Kia Australia COO Damien Meredith confirmed earlier this month there are around 400 units allocated for Australia.
The EV9 will be the second electric vehicle (EV) from Kia to be based on the Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) after the EV6 crossover.
Leaked EV9
The E-GMP platform also underpins the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, and Genesis GV60.
Hyundai will bring out its own version of the EV9 based on the Seven concept revealed in 2021.
The Concept EV9 measures in at 4930mm long, 2055mm wide, and 1790mm tall with a 3100mm wheelbase.
Concept EV9 
For reference, that’s 50mm shorter, 80mm wider, and 40mm taller than the Hyundai Palisade large SUV. The Concept EV9 also had a 200mm longer wheelbase than the Palisade, for maximum interior room.
Pricing and power outputs haven’t been confirmed, but a market research survey sent to Kia owners and seen by Car & Driver suggests the EV9 will be offered with single- and dual-motor powertrains.
Five variants were detailed, starting with a single-motor model offering 149kW/339Nm and a claimed 0-96km/h time of 8.5 seconds; ranging to a dual-motor flagship with 386km of range, 298kW and 651Nm, and a 0-60mph claim of 5.2 seconds.
Concept EV9
Kia didn’t detail the drivetrain specifications of the Concept EV9, but claimed it has a range of up to 483km.
The concept could be DC fast-charged at speeds up to 350kW, which means it could be zapped from 10 to 80 per cent in 20 to 30 minutes when connected to a suitable public charger.
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MORE: 2023 Kia EV9: Say hello to Korea’s biggest, boldest EV
