2023 Kia EV9 spied in Malaysia – seven-seater SUV with 99.8 kWh battery, 541 km range to launch soon?

Kia is steadily growing its range of fully electric vehicles, and Kia Malaysia appears set to add to its EV model range as well, with this sighting of the Kia EV9 in Glenmarie, Selangor courtesy of the Route Hunters Instagram page. This would appear to be brought in by Kia Malaysia themselves, too, as suggested by the piece of paper stating “Kia Malaysia Sdn Bhd” attached to the rear of the vehicle.

First officially unveiled in March this year, the EV9 is a three-row battery-electric SUV that accommodates either six or seven seats, with second-row seats that can swivel 180 degrees to face the occupants of the third row.

This is one of four seating options available for the second row, with other options being the three-seater bench, the basic and the relaxation-type seats; time will tell which of these will come to the Malaysian market.

Based on the Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) architecture that also underpins the EV6, this is an EV to take up the brand’s flagship role and has the size to match, measuring 5,010 mm long, 1,980 mm wide and with a wheelbase of 3,100 mm. Notably, its wheelbase is 200 mm longer than that of the US-market Kia Telluride.

A drag coefficient of 0.28 is claimed for the EV9, which is impressive given its size and upright shape; its aerodynamic properties were achieved through the use of Kia’s first-ever 3D-sculpted underbody cover, featuring a convex shape at the front and a concave shape at the rear, along with aerodynamic wheels and air curtains integrated into the front bumper.

The exterior of this EV9 shows the use of exterior cameras in place of conventional mirrors. Its adoption in the Malaysian market hasn’t been a given, as another Korean EV, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 was launched locally with conventional mirrors instead of the live camera feed setup offered in other markets.

As of March, the EV9 is offered in three variants – the RWD Standard, RWD Long Range and AWD. The RWD Standard serves as the base variant with a 76.1 kWh battery, while the other two variants receive the larger 99.8 kWh battery.

The RWD Long Range offers up to 541 km of range on a single charge on the WLTP testing standard, and being built with an 800-volt electrical architecture, the EV9 can be recharged to gain 239 km of range in around 15 minutes. Conversely the EV9 can also supply electricity, with its vehicle-to-load (V2L) facility offering up to 3.68 kW for devices such as laptops, or camping equipment.

Global specifications indicate that the EV9 comes equipped with with a digital instrument panel and infotainment system display, each measuring 12.3 inches across. Its infotainment setup has an EV mode, which displays and offers control of all EV-specific information and functions on a single page.

Advanced driver assistance systems in the EV9 come courtesy of the Highway Driving Pilot (HDP) system, which offers conditional Level 3 autonomous driving. This brings 15 sensors including two Lidar units, enabling the EV9 to detect and react to the road and other road users to avoid collisions.

GALLERY: 2023 Kia EV9

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Learn more: Kia EV9