Another win after Women’s World Car of the Year (WWCOTY) and World Car of the Year
Kia’s flagship large electric Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), the EV9, has once again been recognized for its value in the United States. Following its win last month as the World Car of the Year at the World Cars Awards 2024, it has also been selected as the year’s best new car.
Kia America (KA) announced on the 8th (local time) that the EV9 has been named one of the Best New Cars of 2024 by U.S. automotive specialist media Autotrader. This marks the fourth time Kia has received Autotrader’s best new car award.
The Best New Car award is chosen directly by Autotrader editors. They select and test models that offer innovative value and assign scores. The EV9 was praised in this test as a “lighthouse pointing to the future of the electrified lineup.” Ample interior space, cargo loading ability, and fast charging speed contributed to its high score. Kia’s brand design philosophy, “Opposites United,” was highly praised.
Steven Center, COO of KA, emphasized that “The EV9 is a model that demonstrates Kia’s commitment to providing vehicles that excel beyond their segments”.
Before winning this Best New Car award, the EV9 also won last month’s 2024 World Car of the Year. The World Car of the Year is considered the most prestigious award among the five World Car Awards (WCA) categories. It is ranked alongside the North American Car of the Year and the European Car of the Year as one of the top three automotive awards in the world. Furthermore, the EV9 also won in the Electric Vehicle category at the 2024 World Car of the Year, achieving a double victory.
It also captured the hearts of women worldwide. The EV9 won the comprehensive victory in the 2023 Women’s World Car of the Year (WWCOTY) the same month. The WWCOTY is determined by a panel consisting of female automotive journalists only. The 14th WWCOTY Awards is a prestigious event that recognizes outstanding achievements in the automotive industry from a female perspective. This year, 75 female motoring journalists from 52 countries will gather to evaluate 62 models across five categories: safety, convenience, technology, and cost-effectiveness. They select the best model in each of the five categories and choose the overall winning model from among them.
The EV9 is a flagship electric vehicle model based on E-GMP’s electric vehicle-specific platform. It boasts a grand exterior and an interior space that provides a new vehicle experience. Equipped with a large capacity 99.8 kWh battery, 3D undercovers, aero wheels, and front bumper air curtains, the Kia electric vehicle lineup achieved the most extended single-charge driving range of 311 miles (based on the 19-inch wheel 2WD model certified by the Ministry of Industry). In the case of the GT-line, it can reach a speed of 100km/h (62 mph) in just 5.3 seconds from a standstill, based on a maximum output of 283 kW (384 horsepower) and a maximum torque of 700 Nm.
The flagship EV model has various battery charging and operation features that best fit its status. These include a 400V/800V multi ultra-fast charging system that allows the battery capacity to be charged from 10% to 80% in just 24 minutes using a 350kW charger, battery conditioning that optimizes charging speed by controlling the battery temperature at the time of arrival at the charging station, and 3-zone independent control full-auto air conditioning that reduces power consumption by allowing independent control of the rear seat heating and cooling.
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