Hyundai’s large family model will deliver in rear and all-wheel-drive forms.

OUT at last and confirmed for New Zealand - Hyundai’s Ioniq 9 has shown to be a brawnier, bigger batteried and bigger box sister ship to the largest Korean model here, the market-established Kia EV9.

Revealed in Los Angeles today, the model that stands as Hyundai’s first seven-seat, all-electric family sports utility boasts an optimal WLTP driving range of 620km thanks to a 110kWh battery.

Hyundai New Zealand says it’s too soon to discuss specifications and price, and won’t be drawn into citing a potential availability.

However with Australia lined up to take the car from June, 2025, with stickers set to site north of $100,000 there, it seems fair to assume NZ won’t be in a dissimilar frame of mind.

Kia EV9 is a big effort; Hyundai Ioniq 9 is larger still. Not just in exterior dimensions, but also in cabin space.

Externally, this model measures up to be 5060mm long (EV9 is 5015mm), 1980mm wide (as per EV9), 1790mm high (10mm taller) and sits on a 3130mm (30mm longer) wheelbase - the latter being the longest of any Hyundai production car.

Hyundai also goes bigger than its sub-brand for battery capacity: The parent has reserved for itself a 110.3kWh battery, up from 99.8kWh in the EV9.

Hyundai’s styling story is also very different to Kia’s.

Seoul has also said the car will deliver in rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, across three trim levels: Long Range RWD, Long Range AWD and Performance AWD.

The first feeds a 160kW/350Nm rear motor configuration. The Long Range AWD installs a 70kW/250Nm motor in the front. The Performance model replaces that with a 160kW/350Nm motor.

Up to 620km of driving range is quoted for the Long Range rear-wheel-drive on 19-inch wheels, compared to a maximum of 541km for the Kia.

The Ioniq 9 will charge from 10-80 percent in 24 minutes on a 350kW DC fast-charger, and also features vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability, as well as 400- and 800-volt charging abilities.

The Performance edition will hit 100kmh from standing start in 5.2 seconds; the entry AWD does it in 6.7s and the rear-drive requires 9.4s. Top speed is only cited for the AWD, at 200kmh.

It configures in six and seven seat formats - so two-plus-two-plus two captain’s chairs, with the mid row able to swivel around to face the rear of the cabin, or two-two-three.

With all seats in place, luggage space is cited at 620 litres. Lower the rearmost seats and this rises to 1323. All versions also have a 88 litre frunk.

A ‘Universal Island 2.0’ console that can slide up to 190mm for storage and easy walk-through accessibility.

Dual 12-inch displays feature up front – running Hyundai's latest software – while digital camera-based side mirrors, a 14-speaker Bose stereo, massaging seats, a panoramic glass roof, 100-watt USB-C charging ports, and an AI-powered voice assistant are available.

The rear-drive is on 19-inch rims; the all-wheel-drive takes 20s in standard issue and 21s are reserved for the Performance. Paint choices span 16 hues, including half a dozen two tones.

Hyundai NZ will be hoping that the model enters an EV sector that is in much better health than it currently endures. The collapse of interest in electrics has been tough for all brands.

In July Kia NZ removed a whopping $35,000 from its top edition, the GT-Line, taking it from $134,990 to $99,990. The mid-spec Earth went from $115,990 to $89,990, but the entry Light model, remained at its $105,990 launch sticker.