Electric luxury could come with a Kia badge
Kia is considering taking on the big-name premium brands with its latest electric vehicles, but do they have what it takes?
It is the time of year when there are lots of articles and posts about the car everyone wants for Christmas. For some it might be a Ferrari or a Porsche, for others a more practical and adventurous luxury SUV, such as a Range Rover or a sporty Lamborghini Urus. I’m more easily pleased, because my wish is for a Suzuki Jimny with five doors and more practical space for the family than the three-door version.
Visiting SA from the UK for the holidays allowed that wish to come true, because you lucky people have a five-door Jimny. It’s outlawed in the UK because of emissions regulations, but for a couple of weeks we’re in the car we would dearly like to pack in our suitcase and take back.
I’ll get more into why this Jimny is such a favourite after we jet back to chilly England, but it highlights how it doesn’t always have to be a luxury brand to tick all the right boxes. That’s also true of Kia, not an automaker we talk about that much at Wanted.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Along with electricity infrastructure concerns, pricing is one of the biggest issues, thanks to exchange rates and ridiculously high import duties placed on EVs. However, Kia SA is committed to bringing electric models and the EV6 has to be first on its list.
“Kia SA is excited to embrace the future and bring new technology by launching NEVs in the country,” said Toni Herbst of Kia SA. “However, this will only happen when we can ensure our pricing is reasonable, and relative to the value proposition offered.”
The EV9 has one of the biggest battery packs available, with 99.8kWh on tap which gives it a 0-100km/h time of around 5.5 seconds, impressive considering it weighs a whopping 2.8 tonnes. Dynamically it is superb in the corners, though its grip seems like wizardry considering the feeling of roll of the body on its suspension. It cruises like anything you would expect from Germany, has multiple driving modes and with up to 560km of driving range on a charge, will tackle those long-distance family trips fairly well, provided you plan your charge stops of course.
What really sets it apart though is the way it looks, with Kia’s design team saying it’s all about “Bold for Nature”. That means bold, futuristic looks, almost American if you wish you could have a Cadillac Escalade, while the interior is a mixture of modern tech and environmentally friendly materials.
If Kia SA manages to land it here then it won’t be cheap. Rear wheel drive versions in the UK start at £64,995, so after exchange rates, taxes and all the other stuff, we expect it to be well over R2m, even more if you want the all-wheel drive GT-Line S spec, and goodness knows how much the rumoured GT performance model will cost if it arrives.
It will still undercut electric seven-seater models from German rivals and possibly the Volvo EX90 which is heading to SA too. The Volvo is probably the biggest threat to Kia’s plans to bring the EV9, and whoever gets in first will be watching the other very closely to see what happens.
However it all turns out, there’s one thing for sure, 2024 will see the EV market expand significantly, regardless of the very obvious issues. If you’re wishing for more electric choices next year, then it seems likely that your wish will come true.