January is early 2023, but on the other hand, it would be shallow of us to expect a miracle on January 12th when Auto Expo will open its doors. The series-production EV9 is most likely to premiere in a different setting, in a country with a bigger appetite for electric vehicles. India may be the world’s fifth-largest car manufacturing country, but it’s also a tough cookie to crack in terms of EV adoption. The biggest reason for this reluctance is – of course – India’s very poor wages compared to Western markets such as the European Union, United Kingdom, and U.S. of A.
India’s EV charging network leaves much to be desired as well, and the same can be said about the road network of the second-largest country in the world in terms of population. TL;DR, this region still has plenty of problems to address before it can dream of large-scale adoption of EVs.
Unpleasant though it may be for the wishful thinkers among us, the number of EVs registered in 2021 was 1.7 percent of the total number of fossil-fuel vehicles registered in India. The South Asian republic purchased 324,840 electric vehicles last year, a drop in the bucket compared to the U.S. market. China is bigger than both, but similar to India, the People’s Republic of China is especially fond of low-cost EVs.
Turning our attention back to the EV9, what can you expect from this family-sized electric sport utility vehicle? For starters, think of it as the zero-emission sibling of the V6-engined Telluride. Twinned with the Hyundai Ioniq 7, the EV9 will use the E-GMP modular EV platform of the Ioniq 7, 6, 5, EV6, and the oft-overlooked Genesis GV60 luxury e-SUV.
The EV9 is a fair bit shorter than its fossil-fuel equivalent, but as expected of an electric vehicle, its wheelbase is longer at 122 inches (3,100 millimeters). Likely to be offered with a base rear-motor setup and an optional dual-motor configuration, the EV6 will probably exceed 250 miles (402 kilometers) between charges as per EPA testing. The Ioniq 5, for example, currently tops 303 EPA-estimated miles (488 kilometers).
Get ready to experience an inspiring tomorrow.
— Kia India (@KiaInd) December 28, 2022
Take a glance at the #KiaConceptEV9 as you join us for the #KiaAutoExpo23.#Kia #KiaIndia #MovementThatInspires #Inspiration #Innovation #Automotive #Technology #ComingSoon
Get ready to be inspired. Stay tuned for more!#Kia #KiaIndia #Inspiration #MovementThatInspires #Innovation #Technology #Automotive #ComingSoon
— Kia India (@KiaInd) December 27, 2022