As first dibs at the 9th Philippine International Motor Show’s long list of media presentations, Kia Philippines kicked off the automotive weekend with a long-awaited reveal of the EV9.

It’s not really that big of a secret. Their invitations didn’t even try to hide the EV9, and the brand has been tickling us with it since we saw it in the flesh at the 2023 Seoul Mobility Show. Nonetheless, the 2024 World Car of the Year that’s actually an SUV is finally and officially here.

While the Seoul units were available in several trims, it’s the GT-Line trim that was unveiled and is the only variant we’re getting. As of this moment, at least.

It’s boxy like the Soul, yet sleek and futuristic like the EV6 that has gone before it. The EV9’s proportions make it seem small in photos, but the 5,015mm long, 1,980mm wide, and 1,780mm high dimensions are actually massive in the metal. The 21-inch rims help sell the look, despite its size.

The heft is propelled around by a fully electric all-wheel drive system with a combined power of 384hp and 700Nm of torque. Coupled with a 99.8kWh battery, the EV9 has a claimed range of 497km and juices up via a Type-2 CCS charger.

The EV9 is built off Kia’s Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) architecture that gives it a lot of interior space, along with a trick charging system.

The EV9’s high-voltage battery pack runs at around 600V, but not all DC chargers are able to go that high in voltage. Instead, the rear inverter actually uses the rear motor’s coils to help boost the voltage from 400V at the charger, up to 800V to charge the batteries.

What does that mean? Well, besides being absolutely freaking cool as hell, the EV9 can charge up to 209kW and go from 10% to 80% in as little as 24 minutes. It does AC charging as virtually all EVs do, but the E-GMP also allows vehicle-to-load (V2L) operation, something not all EVs can do. You can either plug in devices via a socket in the trunk, or via the Type-2 charging port.

The tech that powers the vehicle oozes into the cabin, as you get a 12.3-inch instrument cluster, another 12.3-inch screen for infotainment, and a 5.3-inch segmented display for climate control.

The EV9 also comes with Kia’s DriveWise suite of advanced driver aids, with smart cruise control, blind spot monitoring, lane-keeping and lane-following assist, forward collision avoidance and rear cross-traffic alert.

You get 360° cameras, alongside front, rear, and side parking sensors to help with navigating tight spaces. A digital display augments the auto-dimming rearview mirror to see better immediately behind the EV9. To aid with drag reduction, the chunky wing mirrors are swapped in for a camera-display combination.

The rest of the cabin is quite roomy, with the GT-Line getting 2+2+2 seating instead of the typical cramped seven-seat configuration in most SUVs. The second row, globally, comes either in a relaxation option with comfortable captain’s seats, or as a swivel option allowing the second-row seats to face the third row or the door. We seem to have gotten the relaxation option, swapping the (frankly) gimmicky swiveling seats for proper ones with armrests and footrests for ultimate comfort.

The base trim is like most SUVs, however, and comes with seven seats. Mum’s the word on when it will arrive in the country, though.

Audio comes from a Meridian system, with 14 drivers scattered around the cabin. It’s unsure if our market’s EV9 will come with Kia Connect, though.

The Kia EV9 GT-Line is priced at P5,888,000, and is available in Ocean Blue Glossy, Snow White Pearl, and Aurora Black Pearl. The vehicle itself has a five-year or 160,000km warranty, while the battery has an eight-year or 160,000km warranty, whichever comes first. Units should be available soon, while the lower trim Baseline variant will be announced later on.