The Kia EV9 The large electric SUV is expected to arrive this year, and the company says it is already attracting new customers to the brand despite prices potentially entering the six-digit range.
When asked at a recent media event whether the EV9 would come under the Luxury Car Tax (LCT) threshold, which is currently $89,332 for a “fuel efficient vehicle”, Kia Australia’s general manager of product planning Roland Rivero replied vaguely.
It is not clear whether Mr Rivero is suggesting there are only certain EV9 variants above the LCT threshold, or if the entire range will exceed this threshold.
Regardless, the Kia EV9 is the biggest electric vehicle (EV) the company has offered so far, and it’s naturally expected to cost more than the smaller EV6 crossover.
The EV6 currently starts at $72,590 before on-road for the Air, and extends to $99,590 before on-road for the GT.
It also wouldn’t be surprising if some EV9 variants dethroned the EV6 GT as Kia’s most expensive model to date, meaning the price could head into six-figure territory.
The EV9 will arrive in Australia in the fourth quarter of this year.
Kia Australia chief operating officer Damien Meredith said Car Expert that EV9 supply will be “better than EV6 supply in the first year”.
“Our expectation is reaching 100 a month,” Mr Meredith said. This suggests Kia Australia hopes to get around 1200 units of the EV9 each year.
Mr Meredith added that there were already 50 examples of the EV9 sold across Kia’s Australian dealer network. The company is also approaching 5000 expressions of interest for a large three-row electric SUV.
“The desire in our market is for big [electric] SUVs are very strong, and the kind of interest we’re getting from suburban and postcode types is very new for Kia,” Mr Rivero said.
Kia Australia marketing general manager Dean Norbiato told Car Expert The Hills district in the northern part of Greater Western Sydney is currently the number one attractive source for EV9 in New South Wales, followed by the North Shore and Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
As previously reported, the Kia EV9 will be available with a choice of rear or all-wheel drive, offer a range of up to 541km, and in some markets come with Level 3 autonomous driving technology.
To read in-depth about Kia’s upcoming electric three-row SUV, press here.
MORE: It’s all Kia EV9