KIA EV9, OPPOSITES ATTRACT

Opposites attract and contrasts often generate innovation. The relationship between innovation and contrasts is at the heart of Kia’s ‘Opposites United’ philosophy, which helped generate the design of the electric EV9, a seven-seater, zero-emission SUV with disruptive styling. “We want to embrace contrasts because they are part of everyday”, explains Karim Habib, Executive Vice President and Head of Kia Global Design Center.

“The EV9 is our flagship in that segment, it had to be bold and imposing”, explains Teckkoun Kim, Head of Kia Next Design Group, as he shows us the exterior of the EV9. “Telluride is the model that established Kia’s success in the U.S. market; we wanted to keep that vertical profile and boxy volumes while interpreting them in a completely new electric vehicle”. The front end, at a glance, is overtly Kia, thanks to the “Tiger Mask” with the two lines flexing in the middle, an evolution of the “Tiger Nose” on which the brand’s identity was established. But the graphic signs are unprecedented, particularly the “L” shaped headlights and daytime running lights, a theme the designers call Star Map.

The futuristic and visionary look of the EV9 is emphasised by the “Digital Pattern Lighting Grille” and the innovative design of the headlights with their vertical development conceived in a strongly futuristic key. The side view highlights a profile inspired by polygon shapes: “The side is smooth and rounded, but the lines are sharp and decisive: two opposites that coexist in harmony, just as our styling philosophy dictates”, continues Teckkoun Kim. Contrasts that express an unmistakable and decisive SUV identity with a specific eye on aerodynamic efficiency, because in electric cars the less friction there is, the more it goes. The rear is characterised by a game of cross-references with the front, with the original and distinctive subtle light signatures that enhance the strong and confident stature of the model, ensuring a strong identity for the car and making it immediately recognisable, by day and by night.