The Kia EV9 is the Korean carmaker’s flagship battery electric vehicle (BEV) model and this gentle giant will be launching in Malaysia soon. We went to the ongoing 2024 Bangkok Motor Show to have a closer look at the EV9.

Thailand is the third Southeast Asian market to launch the Kia EV9 after Singapore and Indonesia. Launched earlier this month, the KV9 is available in Thailand in two variants, Earth Long Range and GT-Line AWD.

The 2WD Long Range is powered by a 203 PS/350 Nm rear-mounted electric motor while the AWD variant comes with a pair of 192 PS/350 Nm electric motor on both axles. The latter has a combined output of 384 PS/700 Nm.

The EV9 comes equipped with a 99.8-kWh Lithium-ion battery for both variants. Under the NEDC standard, the Long Range has more than 680 km of range while the GT-Line has a claimed 647 km of range.

More than just better range, the Earth variant also comes equipped with manual-adjusted swivel seats for the second row. The 6-seat configuration is standard but if you want the second-row captain chairs to remain more for comfort than corporate, the GT-Line comes with ventilated and heated relaxation seats.

Only the GT-Line comes with 14 Meridian Audio speakers, premium suede roof trims, electric tilt and telescopic steering adjustment as well as a head-up display.

Standard ADAS features include:

• Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go
• Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist
• Rear Cross Traffic Collision Avoidance (RCCA)
• Forward Collision Avoidance Assist (FCA 2.0) – Car, Pedestrian and Cyclist with Junction Assist
• Lane Following Assist and Lane Keeping Assist

The EV9 will be making its way to Malaysia very soon so keep your eyes peeled on the official updates. Expect prices to not be cheap though despite the Kia badge. The Kia EV6 starts from RM 319,000 so it’s very likely we might see the EV9’s price to be significantly higher.

Also read: 2024 Kia EV9 to be launched in Thailand; flagship 3-row SUV with swivel-seats, up to 380 PS/700 Nm