Electric Kia EV9 carves out a 3-row crossover segment

SEOUL — Fast-growing Kia is banking on a first-mover advantage by reaching into the nascent market for larger electric vehicles with its full-size, three-row all-electric EV9 crossover.

The EV9 will claim a spot that is mostly white space at the moment — a segment for roomy, family-oriented cargo and people movers that meet American space preferences but are battery powered.

By tapping into the segment early, Kia doesn't just hope to lure early adopters to its expanding EV lineup. It expects the flagship model to lift the image of the entire brand.

"There are few seven-seat solutions in the market," Artur Martins, Kia's head of global brand and customer experience, told Automotive News at a design preview in Seoul.

"It will take a while for other mainstream brands to enter, so it's a huge opportunity for us, not only in terms of sales but also in transitioning the brand and repositioning Kia."

The rugged EV9 prototype previewed in Seoul cleaves closely to the concept shown at the 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show. The production version is expected to debut at the New York show in April.

It is a boxy, low-slung crossover with a low belt line, big windows, spacious cabin and sleek interior. The front gets an EV-style mask interpretation of Kia's distinctive Tiger Face grille, and keeps the digital light animation seen in the concept.

The pixelated LED-light pattern wraps around the front side fascia to create a look that Kia plans to deploy across its expanding EV lineup. Kia calls the funky rear light pattern, reminiscent of the etchings on a semiconductor chip, the Star Map Signature.

Other standout features include a frunk under the front hood and rear seats that swivel to face rearward — and even offer a perpendicular turn to look out the window. The vehicle's upright greenhouse lends truck-like proportions and creates more shoulder room for a third row of seats.

Interior designers kept physical buttons only for important functions such as climate control. They aimed for a sleek, uncluttered dash by clustering control stalks for the drive-mode selector and start/stop button around the steering column alongside the usual turn indicator.

Cabin décor drops the high-gloss piano black that has been all the industry rage in recent years, opting for a warm gray that designers say creates a more inviting vibe.

"Using grays looks more sophisticated, more comfortable," global design chief Karim Habib said.

Kia is riding a wave of growing demand. Marketing data shows that from 2021 through 2022 global customer consideration rates for the Kia brand expanded 60 percent while positive opinion of Kia shot up 90 percent, Martins said.

Kia's U.S. sales dipped 1.1 percent to 693,549 vehicles in 2022, in an overall market that was down 7.9 percent. But through February, U.S. sales have rocketed ahead 23 percent. The EV6, Kia's first offering on its new dedicated EV platform, saw sales climb 13 percent to 2,404 units.

Kia will release the EV9's technical specifications, including battery details and range, closer to launch. But executives said engineers had to sacrifice some aerodynamics and driving range to deliver the interior space and blocky squared-off looks of the big crossover.

Still, designers tried to improve aerodynamics with tricks such as a flat underbody cover, low ground clearance, a longer front overhang and active aero grille flaps. To better shed the air, the EV9 gets the longest rear spoiler in the Kia lineup, Habib said.

Kia is banking on continued momentum from the EV9's standout looks and electrified technology. Key to the strategy is that few competitors are in the same space, especially its traditional mass-market rivals, as highlighted by the slow EV entry by Japanese brands.

"Electrification is like a reset button in the set of brands consumers consider buying," Martins said. "Certain brands that in the past were always on the shopping list are suddenly not there because of electrification. It brings new customers that in the past never considered to buy a Kia."

Kia aims to duplicate that early mover strategy across its lineup by launching 17 new EV models through 2027 for "full market" coverage below the EV9 flagship, Martins said.

"We're going to be covering, even in the United States, really important segments that we are not present in nowadays," Martins said. "In other segments, there are opportunities in what you can do with the space in electric cars that can really challenge the convention of the segments."