Kia revealed the first specifications of the EV9 flagship electric SUV yesterday, and the press release and presentation mentioned that the most powerful variant will be the EV9 AWD with 380 horsepower from a dual-motor powertrain. As it turns out, Kia already has something more powerful in the pipeline.
Kia President and CEO Ho Sung Song revealed during an interview with members of the media, including Car and Driver, that the EV9 will also get a range-topping GT model – not to be mistaken with the GT-Line trim unveiled yesterday.
Much like the smaller EV6 GT, the EV9 GT will be a high-performance model featuring a dual motor AWD powertrain and neck-snapping acceleration.
Kia’s head honcho said the EV9 GT is already under development and will be released at the beginning of 2025. While he didn’t reveal more details, the EV9 GT should offer significantly more power than the EV9 AWD, which makes 380 hp (283 kilowatts) and 442 pound-feet (600 Newton-meters) of torque.
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The powertrain from the Kia EV6 GT looks like a good fit for the EV9 GT, as it delivers a healthy 576 hp (429 kW) and 545 lb-ft (739 Nm) of torque, good enough for a 0 to 62 mph time of 3.5 seconds.
Should the EV9 GT get the same powertrain, it will likely be slower to 62 mph because of the heavier weight. Still, it should do much better than the EV9 AWD which covers the 0-62 mph sprint in 6.0 seconds – or 5.3 seconds in Boost mode.
We can only speculate here, but to justify the GT badge and the price premium, the EV9 GT should be at least one second quicker than the EV9 AWD. The cost of added performance will obviously be a lower range, as is the case with the EV6 GT compared to its lesser siblings.
Besides the power boost, the Kia EV9 GT should adopt other hardware found in the EV6 GT, such as the eLSD that can overdrive the outside rear wheel in corners. The system improves agility and gives the vehicle a more rear-biased behavior on the road. Adaptive dampers, upgraded brakes, and a set of summer tires should also be part of the package.
While the regular 2024 Kia EV9 will go on sale in the US in the second half of this year, the EV9 GT will arrive in early 2025.
