Kia will be fully electric in Europe by 2035, and this new EV9 will help

Kia hasn’t revealed its next all-electric, large SUV called the Concept EV9. Which you can’t really see in the images above. At least not yet. But it has promised to stop selling combustion-engined cars in Europe by 2035, and to become fully carbon neutral by 2045.

Of which its next, all-electric large SUV - said EV9 - will form a key part. The new car, revealed at the LA Motor Show next week, will sit on the company’s E-GMP platform which underpins the EV6. That car, as you’ll have read, is really very good.

There’s no word on batteries and performance but for reference, the EV6 uses a 77.4kWh (usable) battery with more than 300 miles of WLTP range and 800-volt charging architecture. Fast, too.

Read TopGear.com's review of the Kia EV6

Like the EV6, it appears the EV9 could very well flirt with a more distinctive exterior design. We’re told it was “inspired by nature and uses upcycled materials developed from ocean waste”. That, unfortunately, is about all we’re going to get ahead of its reveal next week.

Alongside Kia’s commitment to reducing its 2019 level of carbon emissions by 97 per cent by 2045 – and thus becoming an electric-only brand like so many other carmakers – it also intends to start a ‘Blue Carbon’ project focusing on marine ecosystems. It says it plans on restoring and preserving Korea’s coastal wetlands, and work on removing more plastic from the world’s oceans.

Plus, it wants to source all its electricity from renewable sources. “For us, it is not only about setting goals and reaching targets, it is about setting a vision that will inspire others to join the movement to benefit humanity and protect the environment,” explains Kia boss Hosung Song.

The first part of which involves fully revealing its new all-electric, large SUV called the Concept EV9. Watch this space…