The World Car Awards has declared the Kia EV9 as the World Car of the Year for 2024. This is the fourth time Kia has won this same award throughout the World Car Award’s 20-year history.
Kia EV9
Previously in 2023, the Kia EV6 GT secured the World Performance Car title. Earlier in 2020, the Kia Telluride was hailed as the World Car of the Year, while the Kia Soul electric vehicle (EV) won the World Urban Car category.
In selecting the 2024 World Car of the Year winner, a jury of 100 international automotive journalists from 29 countries were involved. In total, 38 cars from various brands formed the initial entry list for the award in question. Out of that list, the judges previously selected the top three finalists - one was the Kia EV9, while the other two were the BYD Seal and the Volvo EX30.
Apart from bagging the 2024 World Car of the Year award, the EV9 likewise won the World Electric Vehicle for 2024 from the same awarding body.
Kia EV9 from the side
Other category winners for the 2024 Word Car Awards include the BMW 5 Series and i5 for the 2024 World Luxury Car, the Ioniq 5 N for the 2024 World Performance Car, the Volvo EX30 for the 2024 World Urban Car, and the Toyota Prius for the 2023 World Car Design of the Year.
Adrian Newey, OBE, the Chief Technology of Red Bull Racing, was likewise declared the 2024 World Car Person of the Year.
For those unfamiliar, the Kia EV9 is a fully electric midsize crossover. It boasts an eye-catching modern boxy design which takes the current Kia design language for EVs into a more adventurous and macho-looking direction.
A peek inside the EV9
In the markets where it is sold, the most potent EV9 variant (Long Range AWD) uses a 99.8 kWh battery and a 380-horsepower electric motor. It also has a range of 541 km as per the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP).
Catch more car news and automotive industry updates here on Philkotse.