Kia EV9 GT performance three-row SUV to be revealed next year

A high-performance version of the Kia EV9 electric three-row SUV, to be badged the GT, has been confirmed for a January debut, and it will accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds. This is according to Kia's Investor Day presentation.

Kia said the new version of the SUV will have “enormous power output”—as yet unspecified—generated by a dual electric motor setup. It’s expected that the SUV will inherit a powertrain similar to that found in the smaller EV6 GT. As such, output would likely be around 576 horsepower at least, if not a little more to account for the EV9's additional weight.

The upcoming EV9 GT will be 1.3 seconds faster to 60 mph than the EV9 GT-Line, and only 0.5 second slower compared to the EV6 GT, although it will likely be heavier than that model.

As a performance flagship, the EV9 GT will be fitted with all-wheel drive, and a “reinforced suspension and electronic braking system” set to provide “stable driving performance at high speeds.” Going by the EV6 GT, that suspension will probably have electronically adjustable damping. We also wouldn't be surprised to see other upgrades such as a limited-slip differential, either electronic or mechanical, included, too.

At its meeting in South Korea, Kia, which is planning to introduce other GT versions of its EV line, confirmed that an updated version of the EV6 GT will debut later this year. The company has also confirmed Kia will launch six new mass market EV models in major locations by the end of the decade: the EV2, EV3, EV4, and EV5.

The EV3 subcompact SUV is expected by the end of this year, to start at about $30,000. By 2030, said Kia President and CEO Ho Sung Song, Kia aims to sell 1.6 million EVs, helped in that quest by concentrating on smaller, more affordable models and discontinuing some larger, less affordable models. The EV9 GT on the other hand, will surely be the most expensive version of the SUV, just as the EV6 GT is the most expensive version of that model.