If there’s one factor that issues in a 3-row household SUV, it’s the flexibility to beat a traditional Ferrari Testarossa in a 0-60 mph dash. Kia understands.
The corporate is utilizing this month’s Los Angeles Auto Present to disclose a automotive that might have appeared inconceivable a era in the past.
Concerning the EV9
Chances are you’ll know the Kia EV9. An unmissable, angular 3-row electrical SUV, it was named World Automobile of the 12 months for 2024. Our editors love its lengthy listing of normal gear, one-of-a-kind futuristic look, and family-friendly nature.
For 2026, Kia will give it steroids. The quickest present iteration of the EV9 is the GT-Line mannequin, a dual-motor all-wheel-drive (AWD) model with 379 horsepower and 516 lb-ft. of torque. It does the leap to 60 mph in 5 seconds flat.
About Its Evil Twin
The GT trim stage will likely be new for 2026 and surpass all these already spectacular figures. Kia says the EV9 GT presents 501 hp, however has provided no torque determine. The 0-60 mph run is available in simply 4.3 seconds. That’s 0.1 second sooner than the this-can’t-be-real Cadillac Escalade V.
The upper efficiency gained’t be restricted to stoplight drag races. The EV9 GT comes with an digital limited-slip differential to boost dealing with stability.
The GT will simulate shifting with “noticeable ‘shifts’ because the automobile accelerates,” Kia says. The motive force can manipulate them by way of paddle shifters. “In-cabin electrical Energetic Sound Design (e-ASD) works in live performance with VGS to duplicate the sounds of the gear shifts because the EV9 GT accelerates.”
Kia hasn’t disclosed pricing. The GT-Line begins at $75,395 (together with supply charges) right now. So, the higher-performance GT, with two extra years of inflation underneath it, might simply cross the $80,000 line.
Neon Inexperienced Hints All through
They’ll be visually distinct from different EV9 fashions, Kia says, due to neon inexperienced brake calipers and high-performance Continental tires. Inside, EV9 GT fashions will get neon inexperienced cabin accents and sport seats trimmed in grippy Alcantara fake suede.
It would use a Tesla-style North American Charging Commonplace (NACS) port, as will all of the EV9 fashions, “beginning within the first half of 2025,” Kia says.
Now that automakers are constructing all kinds of electrical vehicles, high-performance variations aren’t exactly frequent. However the EV9 GT joins a handful of absurdly fast machines like Tesla’s plaid fashions, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, and Kia’s personal EV6 GT. It’s simply the primary one appropriate for greater than two youngster security seats.
Needed? No. Nevertheless it’s enjoyable when automotive engineers discover the bounds of what they will do. They usually don’t must construct many of those to make their level. Kia says stock of the automotive is “anticipated to be extraordinarily restricted.”
