Kia launches electric flagship EV9 SUV

Kia is set to launch its all-electric EV9 flagship SUV in the domestic market this week from June 18, as part of its electrification efforts.

The flagship SUV is Kia’s second model equipped with Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated electric vehicle platform, called E-GMP, after the EV6 SUV launched in 2021.

The two-wheel-drive EV9 comes with a 99.8 kilowatt-hour battery and can travel 501 kms on a single charge. An all-wheel-drive model is also available, the company said in a statement.

The model -- set to be launched on Monday -- is priced at 73 million won-82 million won ($57,000-$64,000), depending on options.

Kia plans to gradually launch the EV9 in Europe, the United States and other markets in the second half, reports Yonhap news agency.

Kia plans to produce about 100,000 units a year of the new model at the Kia Autoland Gwangmyeong plant, just south of Seoul, for global sales.

The maker of K5 sedans and Sorento SUVs aims to sell 1 million EVs in 2026 and gradually fill its EV lineup with 15 models by 2027.

The company plans to add the EV9 GT-line and the performance EV9 GT models to beef up its EV lineup in the third quarter. The GT-line model adopts the design of the performance GT model to meet diverse customer demands.

It will introduce Level 3 autonomous driving technology through the Highway Driving Pilot programme in the GT-line model.

A Level 3 car allows lane changes and other autonomous driving functions to work without intervention by the driver. At Level 4, a vehicle can drive itself under limited conditions and will not operate if all required conditions are not satisfied. At Level 5, a vehicle's automated driving features can drive under any conditions.

The EV9 has been developed under Kia's new design philosophy, "Opposites United," which embodies its shifting focus toward electrification.

It comes with a sleek and bold exterior design, and its flat-floor EV architecture offers an interior space with third-row seating and enhanced comfort.

The Kia Connect Store enables customers to keep their EV9 constantly updated by upgrading the SUV's digital features and services without taking the vehicle to a dealership, it said.

With the swivel seat option, the second-row seats swivel 180 degrees to allow conversations with passengers in the third row.

It also boasts numerous safety features, such as blind-spot collision-avoidance assist, navigation-based smart cruise control and parking collision-avoidance assist systems.

This year, the company set a sales goal of 3.2 million units, higher than the 2.9 million units it sold last year.