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Kia’s battery-powered LandCruiser rival is edging closer to its debut, with engineers testing the EV9 at Germany’s Nurburgring race track.
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The 2023 Kia EV9 has been caught on camera as it undergoes road testing.
The electric EV9 was spied on the road around Germany’s iconic Nurburgring race track, with much of the heavy camouflage previously seen on the large Kia now stripped back to a simple vinyl wrap and a few stick-on pieces to confuse photographers.
A roll cage and Recaro racing seats can be seen fitted to the prototype, though this is almost certainly for the safety of Kia’s engineers, and won’t make it to production.
The large three-row SUV – first shown as a concept car in November 2021 – is expected to offer people-mover levels of comfort and space when it arrives next year, while being offered as an electric alternative to the Toyota LandCruiser, or a Hyundai Palisade.
Despite the foam blocks added under the camouflage wrap to attempt to break up its lines, Kia appears to have kept the shape of the EV9 true to the concept, while also retaining its ‘tiger nose’ LED headlights and grille, and vertical tail-lights.
Like its Hyundai twin, the upcoming Ioniq 7, the EV9 will ride on Hyundai Motor Company’s E-GMP electric vehicle architecture, with a driving range expected to be in excess of 500km and a 0-100km/h sprint time of around five seconds.
It’s suggested just six minutes on a fast charger will offer 100km of range for the battery-powered SUV.
As arguably the most technologically-advanced vehicle to ever come from Kia, the EV9 will offer over-the-air updates (OTA) and Feature on Demand (FoD) – the latter which could allow equipment options to be added after the vehicle is delivered, via a one-time payment or a monthly subscription fee.
Drivers will also have the opportunity to use AutoMode – Kia’s forthcoming ‘Level 3’ autonomous driving technology – which is expected to include navigation-based adaptive cruise control (NSCC), high-definition maps, and auto lane change functionality.
According to information said to have been leaked from Kia’s Sohari factory back in March, the Kia EV9 will enter production in April 2023, with a public debut coming this September.
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