Battery-dedicated three-row sports utility features swank swivel seating in second row.

PESKY internet activist action seems to have forced Kia to today take the wraps off the largest electric car it might build – but it’s still intent on keeping technical and specification details about the EV9 under wraps for now.

The sharing today of a swathe images further cements thought that the family-minded wholly battery-dedicated seven-seater will to be at full production readiness within months and potentially in some markets, including right-hand drive countries prioritised by brand – New Zealand included – well before the end of this year. 

The release today could well have been triggered by some shots out of today’s photo portfolio having appeared online just days ago. 

It’s the next step from a release in early January when Kia showing the car in light disguise undertaking validation tests at the Namyang research and development testing ground, south of Seoul, a Hyundai Group facility for all its car brands.

There’s more to come: While the basics are well known – it’s built on the same platform as the EV6 (and Hyundai Ioniq 5 and 6) and seems destined to pluck from the selection of drivetrain choices given with those cars - Kia is planning another international media event in a couple of weeks to discuss battery, electric motor and driving range specifications.

In respect to those, there’s been a leak out of the United States which suggests power outputs will range between 149kW and 298kW – from single-motor rear-wheel-drive or dual-motor all-wheel-drive layouts – while up to 467km of driving range will deliver. Top-of-the-range dual-motor models drop down to 386km, but have the most torque, 651Nm, and will be up to towing up to 2040kg.

That timing might be when Kia New Zealand feels compelled to announce its sales programme. It has, however, previously said it aimed to have EV9 here this year.

Once Kia has finished its spiel, Hyundai will have a turn – because the parent brand also has its own equivalent, the EV 7, coming in due course. At the moment, that car seems more likely to be a 2024 product.

Today’s images emphasis how large it is – whole exact dimensions have yet to shared, some are saying it will equal the 4.9 metre Toyota Land Cruiser 300-Series in length – and also confirm it has kept the same basic boxy design language design as the EV9 Concept that revealed at the 2021 Los Angeles Motor Show. 

It stays true to the designers’ dream by running large wheels - up to 21 inch (the display car had 22s) – but the LA car’s rear-hinged second-row doors have been ditched, there are pop-out door handles and whereas the design study had rear-facing cameras mounted externally on the doors to show a rear view, the production car has orthodox wing mirrors. 

The interior treatment is less extrovert than the concept’s, though one neat feature retains: the ability to swivel the second-row chairs in six-seat versions by 180 degrees to  face the third row. The first and second-row seats can also recline.

The control layout and instrumentation will be familiar to EV6 drivers, save for rhe gear selector – interestingly, it has moved from a rotary dial in the centre console to a stalk on the steering wheel column. That’s as Hyundai has it in the 5 and 6.

There are dual 12.3-inch screens – one for the instruments, and one touchscreen for the infotainment system – split by a separate 5.0-inch display dedicated to the air-conditioning controls.

A row of shortcut buttons sits below the centre touchscreen and there is a floating centre console with cupholders and a wireless smartphone charger. The cabin also proliferates with USB-C ports.

Comment from the factory today has restricted to extensive thought about the car’s styling message, the brand saying EV9 “encapsulates bold styling and sophisticated elegance inside and out.”

“The Kia EV9 represents a pivotal step forward in the company's journey towards becoming a sustainable mobility solutions provider.”

It says the car’s bold and confident visual presence has been inspired by Kia’s ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy, which harnesses the creative tension generated by the divergent values of nature and modernity to deliver a harmonious whole.

“Kia’s designers have fused a unique combination of sleek, sculptural shapes and assured, assertive geometry to deliver a strikingly contemporary yet gracefully serene SUV.”