The Kia EV9 has won a lot of internet praise before anyone outside Kia has even driven the vehicle. With its unique faceted bodywork and Telluride usability combined with electric power, it seems like an intriguing option for many buyers.
But, when it gets here, the electric 3-row SUV won’t bring one of its most talked-about features.
The EV9’s unique second-row swivel seats won’t make their way to America. At least, not yet.
A Kia spokesperson confirmed to us this morning, “The swivel seats aren’t part of the plan right now for the EV9 in the U.S.”
The reason? Uncertainty about American safety regulations.
The second-row seats in the demonstration models shown to journalists can face forward, face out the door, or face the third-row seats. Legroom is tight in the lounge configuration, but the limousine-like layout would be unique on the U.S. market. And we can only imagine how much more convenient it might be to install a child safety seat at an easier angle.
Kia designers were able to build it in because the EV9 has a perfectly flat floor – electric vehicles don’t need a transmission hump down the center of the cabin like gasoline vehicles do.
Kia believes the seats are safe. When we saw the EV9 in Seoul in February, a Kia designer assured us the company had crash-tested the design and was confident it would pass the myriad crash tests conducted on vehicles sold in many countries.
The company doesn’t rule out bringing them stateside – “Never say never,” the spokesperson told us. But that would likely require extensive consultation with federal safety regulators.
Americans will get a pair of second-row captain’s chairs in their place for now.
