The Kia EV9 Concept made its official debut last night, at the Los Angeles Auto Show. This is supposed to be Kia’s upcoming full-size electric SUV, a car bigger than the current EV6 that is shaping up to be quite revolutionary, at least in terms of design. Think of it as a Kia e-Soul, but on a completely different scale.
As a matter of fact, the proportions will seem familiar overall, with the EV9 Concept having a lot of straight lines and sharp edges too. This being just a concept, unlike on the production e-Soul, the designers had a lot more freedom at hand. Up front you’ll notice that LEDs dominate the fascia, over to the sides. What’s cool about them though is that they are not visible, when they are not in use, according to Kia. They do have a sequential patter of illumination that springs into action whenever the driver approaches. The vertical daytime running lights are on all the time though.
From the sides you’ll notice the slab-sided panels that seem to angle inward at the bottom of the doors, which are suicide-style opening, by the way. The roof rails are retractable, something you don’t see very often, while the traditional door mirrors have been replaced by digital versions, for better aerodynamics. Round the back, the Y-shaped taillights are definitely something new, while the rest of the fascia is quite simple in design.
Inside the cabin you’re welcome by a huge, 27-inch display that covers about half the dashboard. The panoramic sun roof lets in plenty of air, for a roomy feeling, while the first row of seats can be rotated to face the rear ones. Speaking of which, the second row can be folded into an actual table. There’s also a third row of seats which means you can use the table in the middle for a mobile meeting room.
As you would expect, most of the materials used inside are sustainable and recyclable. Fishnets and plastic bottles have been recycled and used as a raw material for most of the panels and trims, while vegan leather covers certain details as well. There’s no mention as to when the production version could come out, but Kia says that the range should vary around 300 miles while the recharging process should take anywhere between 20 and 30 minutes taking the battery from 10 to 80 percent.
