Kia introduces the EV9, its new family-sized electric car with third row

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Kia has really had a hit on its hands with the Telluride SUV. It's a nice medium size vehicle with rugged, distinctive looks, and most importantly for many families, it has three rows of seats with decent room, even in the rearmost one.

The Telluride isn't going anywhere, and has even gotten some updates for the 2024 model year. But it's gained a three-row sibling with electric power.

The 2024 EV9 is Kia's second dedicated battery-powered vehicle, on the heels of the successful EV6 model. The styling is definitely distinctive - very modern and sort of chunky looking.

Inside, it has more futuristic design befitting a high-tech electric vehicle, and most importantly, a roomy third row seat that can hold teenagers at the very least. It's all wrapped up in a vehicle that's quite competitive in the EV arena, just like the EV6. Buyers of electrics these days expect decent range, and the EV9 delivers there. From a low of 230 miles, to a high of just over 300, depending on configuration.

And the new family-size Kia is arriving with a rather attractive price in the grand scheme of things. Base prices range from just under $60,0000 to around $75,000. The next-newest three-row electric SUV is the Mercedes-Benz EQS, which starts just north of $100,000. Kia is also able to brag that soon, the EV9 will be built at the company's U.S. assembly plant in Georgia.

It's pretty easy to identify Kia's purpose-built electric models, they all begin with the letters EV for "electric vehicle." First there was the EV6, now there's the EV9. Introduced last year as concepts are two smaller electric models: the EV4, a compact sedan, and the EV3, a compact SUV. While technically still classified as a concept, the EV3 is likely to arrive this year, and the EV4 could arrive sometime in 2025.