Kia EV9 Concept Previews Funky, Telluride-Sized EV
We’ll see the full EV9 Concept at the LA Auto Show next week.
Where there’s a Hyundai EV, a Kia one can’t be too far behind. Last week Hyundai teased its LA-bound SEVEN concept, a big EV that should preview the brand’s upcoming Ioniq 7. Now it’s Kia’s turn, with the Korean brand showing off the Concept EV9 ahead of the festivities next week.
While it shares a naming convention with the upcoming EV6, the EV9 goes in a very different styling direction. These initial teasers suggest an ultra-modern take on the boxier models in the family, like the Soul and Telluride. The surfacing is clean, with angular wheel arches breaking up the vast expanses of metal. LED headlights start low on the front fascia, framing a blocked-off grille before running up and over the front fenders. Y-shaped taillights are perhaps the closest visual tie to the smaller EV6.
There are of course the usual concept car design flourishes, like an enormous glass roof, huge wheels, and a distinct lack of door handles.
SEE ALSO: 2021 Kia K5 GT Review: An Almost-Perfect Everyday Sport SedanThe minimalism continues inside, with a hollow steering wheel—thankfully not a yoke setup—and a wide screen stretching across most of the dashboard. It isn’t clear if that’s all a single screen, or portioned off into a few. We spy a row of touch-sensitive controls built into the dashboard, and nothing at all on the center console.
We expect the EV9 and SEVEN to share an electric vehicle platform, likely an evolution of the parent company’s E-GMP setup. We’ll find out more about the EV9 next Wednesday, November 17, when Kia pulls the sheet back at 11:15 AM local time. Stay tuned to AutoGuide for more.
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Kyle began his automotive obsession before he even started school, courtesy of a remote control Porsche and various LEGO sets. He later studied advertising and graphic design at Humber College, which led him to writing about cars (both real and digital). He is now a proud member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), where he was the Journalist of the Year runner-up for 2021.
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