During the presentation of its results for the first quarter of 2024, Kia took the opportunity to share a speech by its CEO, recorded at the company's Investor Day earlier this month.
That contained some interesting information about the EV9 electric SUV and the future GT version that will join the range in early 2025, as reported by Motor 1.
More specifically, there was a promise of “enormous power” from the upcoming EV9 GT model. Kia talks of a 0 to 100 km/h time of just four seconds. Given that the hulking SUV weighs in at nearly 6,000 lb, that's an impressive figure.
Currently, the most powerful version of Kia’s EV9 delivers 379 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque.
Kia didn’t mention range for the GT variant, but we can expect it to be less than with the regular model, unless the battery composition or other components are modified to compensate. The current GT-Line model, with 379 hp, offers a range of 451 km, quite a bit less than the 480 of the base version.
The other notable bit of information from Kia is that the GT model will get suspension adjustments for more ruggedness and improved brakes.
The regular Kia EV9's suspension is balanced between firm and supple. The weight of the model means it can’t swing too far to the former setting, to avoid banging occupants around. As it is, on rough surfaces, the rear end bounces around to the point of instability at speeds over 100 km/h. Having experienced a situation where the rear end danced a little too much for our liking on a stretch of freeway with an uneven surface, the idea of an even firmer suspension on such a heavy vehicle is perplexing.
We'll have to wait and see.
The video shown by Kia included confirmation that the EV3 and EV4 should make their debut before the end of this year.
