November 25, 2024

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Kia's EV9 (Kia)

Kia's latest large full-electric sport utility vehicle, the EV9, is garnering a slew of global accolades, clenching three major awards and several nominations for major North American and World Car of the Year honors.

Kia on Sunday announced the EV9's win of the 2024 Danish Car of the Year's Innovation Award from Danske Motorjournalist, Denmark’s Automobile Journalists Association.

In Spain, the car was also named the Moveo Car of the Year 2023 by La Vanguardia, gaining recognition from both experts and consumers. Last month, the UK's TopGear.com Awards honored the EV9 as the Family Car of the Year for 2023

The EV9 features a spacious three-row cabin with flexible cargo space and delivers up to 490 kilometers on a single charge, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency ratings. A notable interior feature is the 29.6-inch panoramic display that combines the digital instrument cluster, infotainment system and climate controls.

The model also offers the Kia Connect Store, enabling the over-the-air purchase and installation of new features like Remote Smart Parking Assist 2.

The EV9's distinctive design that blends a robust, boxy silhouette with aerodynamic contours has earned its nominations for the 2024 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (utility category) and the European Car of the Year.

Additionally, it is a contender in three World Car Awards for 2024: World Car of the Year, World Electric Vehicle of the Year, and World Car Design of the Year.

The SUV's other accolades include nomination for 2024 German Car of the Year in Luxury, 2023 Newsweek's Best Premium SUV and Best SUV Interior, and winning Auto Bild's 2023 Golden Steering Wheel Award in the Family Cars category.

With a starting price of $54,900 in the US market, Kia began customer deliveries of the SUV in November.

In its home turf, the EV9 sold over 1,300 units in its initial month and secured the fourth spot in the domestic EV sales rankings for November.

By Moon Joon-hyun (mjh@heraldcorp.com)