The KIA EV9, a luxury electric SUV with three rows of seats, has been voted the top model in the “Luxury” category at the 2024 German Car of the Year competition. This category includes all models with a base price above 70,000 euros. The new KIA EV9 won against nine competing models in this category.
The KIA EV9 is the second all-electric battery-powered vehicle from KIA, following in the footsteps of the award-winning EV6, which was named European Car of the Year in 2022.
“We are very proud that the EV9 has been declared the ‘German Luxury Car of the Year’ even before it is launched, as it sends a strong message that KIA and its electrification strategy are recognized and awarded by experts in the German automotive industry,” said Won-Jeong Jeong, President of KIA Europe.
In the GCOTY competition, which was held for the sixth time this year, a panel of 27 automotive journalists tested and evaluated a total of 48 new models. The competition is divided into five categories: “Compact,” “Premium,” “Luxury,” “New Energy,” and “Performance.” The jury will select the overall winner from the winners of the five categories in early October.
The EV9 is the largest KIA model available in Europe to date. Like the EV6, it is based on the Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) with extremely fast 800-volt charging technology, providing one of the best charging performances in its category. Under ideal conditions, the 99.8 kWh battery can recover a range of up to 239 kilometers in just 15 minutes of charging.
The EV9 is offered in both seven-seat and six-seat configurations with two individual seats in the second row. It is available with rear-wheel drive and a motor with an output of 150 kW, offering a fully electric driving range of up to 541 kilometers (WLTP), or as an all-wheel-drive vehicle equipped with two electric motors with a total output of 282 kW and a range of 497 kilometers (WLTP). The AWD version is also available in the sporty GT-line version, which can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds and has a top speed of 200 km/h.
