Kia’s biggest, most extravagant electric car has landed - but it’s not going anywhere yet.

AN important fully electric Kia model whose first shipment is now being distributed nationally might be stuck in the showroom.

The three-row large sports utility Kia touts as a technology masterpiece has arrived lacking compliance, a pre-requisite to registration and road use, potentially as result of a regulatory change that impacted on October 1.

The highly unusual situation might not be remedied until November 1, according to one seller citing an internal communication from Kia NZ.

The matter came to light as result of online weekend comment from an early adopter relating on social media how his car has arrived, but cannot be registered or handed over to his care.

Kia NZ has not responded to request for comment. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Authority said today it is a distributor issue. The agency is awaiting the factory data required to ensure the car meets national standard. It has no reason to believe there are specific issues to be questioned in respect to that.

EV9 is the largest car yet on the Hyundai-Kia E-GMP fast charging, 800-volt electrical architecture, which also underpins the popular Hyundai Ioniq 5 and its Kia EV6 equivalent, and the most important car it has for 2023.

EV9 has been subject to significant pre-delivery promotion by Auckland-based Kia New Zealand, which will offer it across three trim lines and with single and dual motor drivetrains, with a 76.1kWh standard-range variant and a flagship 99.8kWh long-range, pricing from $105,990 to $134,990.

Compounding any distributor embarrassment is that October 12 is Kia EV Day 2023, a major international celebration by head office of Kia’s electric vehicle progress.

The marque is bringing together select motoring media from around the globe - just one from New Zealand - to Yeoju, a city near Seoul, for an exposition promising the international reveal of two brand-new full electric concepts, predicted as the EV3 and EV4, and sharing of future electric car plans.

Kia is also showcasing a car so far only confirmed for China, the EV5, similar in look to EV9 but smaller. The EV3 and EV4 are conjectured as being of similar ilk to EV5, but perhaps more compact. Kia is said to be keen ror one to become a direct competitor for the Tesla Model 3.

An industry insider highly familiar with the compliance system, also known as homologation, said the process involves factory information the distributor is required to furnish going to Waka Kotahi. It transfers through a system established by the distributors’ organisational body, the Motor Industry Association. Before October 1, the information only had to go into the MIA system, called ‘Miami’, for NZTA to check at any time thereafter. But that changed as of October 1. Kia could be the first car brand to test the new system - and appears to have fallen short.

He considered the EV9’s situation to be highly unusual, unique in his experience. Compliance was usually sorted well before a vehicle hits the country, often before it is even built. He was surprised stock had reached dealerships.

“Maybe they had the cars shipped in hope the paperwork would arrive before the vessel did and, then, before the cars hit dealerships.”

One element of compliance is satisfying safety standard, but while crash test rating from independent assessors is important, it is not crucial. EV9 has not yet been subjected to either the European NCAP or Australasian ANCAP independent assessments that have highest sway here.

Three-row electric passenger models are an emergent type and this is the first of its type from Kia, landing well ahead of the Ioniq 7 equivalent of its sister brand in the Hyundai Group.

However, it has been preceded by three other electric seven seaters.

The LDV Mifa9 has been on sale since last November and the Mercedes Benz EQS SUV launched last month to join the smaller EQB that was also a 2023 admission. Aside from the Ioniq 7, another impending rival in 2024 is the Volvo EX90.

The line-topping GT-Line is a technology heavyweight, less so here than in South Korea, where it debuts a precedent-setting Level 3 autonomous driving feature, Highway Driving Pilot.

Highway Driving Pilot - which employs 15 sensors, including two LiDAR units, for a 360-degree view of the vehicle’s environment - is not yet signed off for export.

Locally it will adopt a semi-autonomous ‘Highway Driving Assist 2’ system, combining adaptive cruise control with lane centring to assist steering on motorways.

This adds a hand detection sensor to the steering wheel to ensure drivers remain focused on the road ahead, while lane change assist automatically steers the vehicle into the indicated lane when the appropriate indicator signal is applied.

The EV9 has other high tech tweaks. After debuting in the latest Hyundai Kona, out in a matter of weeks, EV9 is Hyundai-Kia’s next vehicle – and the first Kia – to feature the group’s new Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) infotainment system, which facilitates over-the-air software updates and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with satellite navigation for the first time.

Remote Smart Parking Assist 2 is an improvement on a feature found on EV6 (and Ioniq 5) which allows it to self-park regardless of whether the driver is inside or outside the vehicle. That’s provided they have the Digital Key 2 smart key, which uses ultra-wide band technology allowing owners to open and start their car using their smartphone, so long as the actual key is also in proximity.

It is thought NZ market EV9s achieve, as other past Kias have done, from a regional ride and handling retune, undertaken in Australia. This tweaks spring and damper settings with aspiration to suit local conditions better.

Development engineer Graeme Gambold recently said the model provided a first opportunity for his Melbourne-based team to work with “the combination of the E-GMP platform and self-levelling shock absorbers in the rear”.

“The equipment all works in harmony for the EV9, keeping the vehicle level despite loads. This is important for this big and boxy 7-seater, ensuring front-end grip is maintained whether the EV9 has one driver, or a whole family plus cargo in the back.”