Kia has pushed back the launch of its high-performance EV9 GT in the United States, a model originally expected to arrive in late 2025. The company confirmed to Car and Driver that the 2026 model-year version, equipped with a 374 kW powertrain, is now “delayed until further notice” due to what it described as changing market conditions. The decision marks the second electric Kia postponed in the U.S., following an earlier delay of the EV4 sedan.
While Kia has not specified the full extent of the challenges, the expiration of federal EV tax incentives is considered a key factor weighing on its U.S. EV strategy. The same issue contributed to the indefinite postponement of the EV4 Fastback earlier this year.
Although the standard EV9 is built in Georgia, the EV9 GT would have been imported from South Korea, making it subject to U.S. tariffs even as a new trade agreement between the United States and South Korea—signed in October 2025—reduced tariff rates on Korean vehicles from 25% to 15%.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding its U.S. availability, the EV9 GT remains in production and accessible to customers in other regions. The model, which delivers a significant performance jump over the EV9 GT-Line, features a tuned chassis, electronic damper control, torque-vectoring limited-slip differential, and simulated gear shifts.
Kia says the 2.7-ton SUV can accelerate from 0–100 km/h in 4.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 220 km/h. Order books for the EV9 GT opened in the UK and South Korea in September, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2025.
