Hyundai Seven meets Kia EV9
Korean fratricidal struggle
Kia EV9 Concept 2021
© press-inform – the press office
While many international car manufacturers are currently hiding behind the chip crisis and the corona pandemic, the situation is very different with the Korean car brands. The Hyundai Group is not only showing impressive strength and a clear direction into the future at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
You just have to look at the SUV double pack from the two near-series concept studies Hyundai Seven and Kia EV9 at the Los Angeles Auto Show 2021 – the Korean Hyundai Group not only wants to increasingly enter the profitable premium segment with its Genesis brand. The two upper-class crossovers Kia EV9 and Hyundai Seven do not have to hide behind the global premium competition – on the contrary. One might wonder why the two closely interwoven electric crossovers at the Los Angeles Auto Show are just a few hundred meters away at the same major event in the local Convention Center. Up until now, the Koreans had better understood how to better separate supposedly closely interwoven sister products from one another. At the auto show in Los Angeles it can hardly be hidden that the same technology is parked on the stages with a slightly different hat.
While the Hyundai Group in Europe is increasingly in the smaller and medium-sized segments and has relied on SUVs here in recent years, people in the USA are much more self-confident. The Kia Telluride and its sister model, the Hyundai Palisade, are five-meter SUVs with luxury equipment at a fair price of a maximum of 50,000 US dollars and attack relatively shamelessly higher-positioned models such as the Audi Q7, Mercedes GLE / GLS or BMW X5 / X7 – with success . The new electric double pack consisting of the Kia EV9 and the Hyundai Seven is intended to carry this competition into the near future – electrically, of course.
Like the Kia EV6, the study of the 4.93 meter long EV9 is based on the Electric Global Modular Platform for battery electric vehicles. “The Kia Concept EV9 is another milestone for us on an incredible journey since the beginning of the year,” says Kia chief designer Karim Habib. “We have clearly formulated our intentions – to become a global leader in sustainable mobility solutions – and are proud today on showing the world our electric SUV study. It combines a highly developed emission-free drive with a cutting-edge exterior design and a contemporary interior based on innovative technology. ” The exterior design of the Kia EV9, in the form of a gigantic ski boot, looks more than self-confident, while inside, thanks to the 3.10 meter long wheelbase, a feel-good atmosphere spreads like in the living room at home. It is operated by voice or via the 27-inch broadband display. The Concept EV9 is powered by an electric drive, which in reality should achieve a range of 480 kilometers. Thanks to 350 kW charging technology, the battery pack in the underbody increases from 10 to 80 percent in less than half an hour.
Technically, the Hyundai Seven is largely identical to the Kia EV9. Due to its stretched and less upright body, it looks a bit more visionary and massive than the Kia, which is emphatically technical from the outside. The digital light units in the style of the concept study of the Hyundai 45 or the recently launched Hyundai Ioniq 5 give the approximately five-meter-long crossover a striking appearance. “As concrete evidence of Hyundai’s vision of” Progress for Humanity “, the Hyundai Ioniq sub-brand is changing the customer experience with electric cars because it enables different lifestyles without restrictions,” said Thomas Schemera, Executive Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer of Hyundai Motor Company, “the Seven reflects our commitment to redefining everyday experiences to put people first.” Inside, thanks to the long wheelbase and large glass areas and seating area, the SUV study looks like a rolling lounge that only waits for driver assistance levels four and five. The flat floor allowed the designers to move away from the traditional row arrangement of seats, resulting in a more open and flexible interior. The rear doors open in opposite directions and do not require a B-pillar. This creates a generous access to the interior, which impresses with its feel-good atmosphere. We can look forward to the series vehicles. And on the delimitation of brands and models from one another.