Just slightly over a month ago, Kia’s official distributor in Malaysia, Dinamikjaya Motors launched the Kia EV9 in the country. Now, the Korean all-electric SUV has made its public appearance at The Exchange TRX and will be showcased at the mall from June 12 to 16 (Wednesday to Sunday), 10:00 AM through 10:00 PM.
The Kia EV9 is the brand’s second all-electric model, having been introduced after the EV6, which is sold here in Malaysia. And it appears Kia has bigger plans for our market.
When asked if Kia has plans to locally assemble (CKD) its EV models here in Malaysia, Dinamikjaya Motors Managing Director, Dato’ Wong Kin Foo mentioned that it all depends on whether the government will change its policy on fully imported (CBU) vehicles first, and if the tax exemption dateline for CBU EVs will be extended further, beyond the current dateline, which is set at December 21, 2025. The Managing Director also highlighted the need to build an EV supply chain in order to CKD Kia’s EVs here in Malaysia.
Right now in Malaysia, all the supply chains are almost 100% skewed towards ICE, That is a base. EVs require a different supply chain,” Dato’ Wong quoted.
As vehicles are getting smarter these days, many modern cars come with telematics suites courtesy of their respective brands, allowing owners to control certain functions of their cars just from their smartphones. For instance, Honda has its Honda Connect telematics suite, Tesla has its Tesla App, and Kia also has its Kia Connect app. However, this app isn’t supported here in Malaysia just yet. Responding to when the app will finally be supported here in Malaysia, Dato’ Wong mentioned that Kia is currently working on finding the right local service provider, namely telco partners.
Back to the Kia EV9. This Korean EV SUV is offered in two variants, namely the GT-Line 6- and 7-Seater variants. Priced from RM369,668, the Kia EV9 in Malaysia comes with interesting features such as the LED Small Cube Projection headlights, “Star Map” LED daytime running lights (DRLs), and digital side-view “mirrors” to match its spaceship-like looks.
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Powering the Kia EV9 in Malaysia across the range is a dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) setup that produces 380 hp and 700 Nm. Thanks to a 99.8 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, it can carry you and your family as far as 505 km (WLTP) on a single charge.
Speaking of charging, the Kia EV9 supports AC charging at a maximum rate of 11 kW and DC charging at a maximum rate of 350 kW. The former can juice up the car from flat to full in 10.5 hours, while the latter can charge it from 10 to 80% in just 24 minutes.
Inside, the Kia EV9 is equipped with leatherette upholstery, electrically powered front seats with lumbar adjustment, a 12.3-inch digital instrument display, and a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment display. Dual-zone automatic aircon and a head-up display (HUD) are also thrown in.
Safety-wise, the Kia EV9 in Malaysia comes with a list of active safety features. This includes features such as smart cruise control (SCC) with Stop & Go functionality, forward collision-avoidance assist (FCA), rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist (RCCA), and remote smart parking assist (RSPA).
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