Kia’s Genius Transfer to Construct Its U.S. Fashions In Georgia Permits It to Drop Costs On In style EV9 Battery-Electrical SUV Trims for 2026 Mannequin Yr – Whereas Tariffs Damage Manufacturers With Poor Foresight

Kia’s three-row, battery-electric EV9 has earned excessive reward from reviewers, testers, and house owners. Inside EVs captured the final theme with its evaluation titled, Kia EV9 – Really Improbable. That is a kind of uncommon fashions that comes alongside now and again that just about everybody within the automotive world agrees is a good automobile to purchase and personal. That’s why we monitor it so intently. This week, we discovered that the Kia EV can have meaningfully decrease MSRPs on two of its 5 trims, and Kia has held the (very low) value of its entry trim of the EV9 for the brand new yr.

Kia is just not alone in with the ability to handle the present commerce negotiation interval. In April, many manufacturers noticed decrease common transaction costs. 

Let’s not go any additional with no take a look at this pricing chart we created based mostly on Kia’s just-announced pricing for 2026 vs. the prior yr’s value ranges. To be clear, these are listing costs, not remaining shopper prices. 

As you possibly can see, the worth of the bottom unit is unchanged, and the Wind can be the identical for the brand new mannequin yr. The Gentle SR does have a rise. Nonetheless, the 2 “greatest” trims now price much less. The highest trim is $2,000 decrease for the brand new yr. Along with providing decrease MSRPs for the brand new yr, the EV9 Dusk Version package deal is obtainable in 6-passenger and 7-passenger seating configurations as a no-cost possibility.

Different no-cost enhancements to the Kia EV9 line are:
-Dusk Version on Land affords design and efficiency enhancements
-Dusk Version on Land provided with each 6-passenger and 7-passenger seating configurations

Torque Information retains it actual after we report the patron prices of cars. This story reviews on Kia’s steered retail value adjustments. We regarded exhausting for a flim-flam and couldn’t discover one. The Kia Vacation spot cost stays at $1,495 for the brand new mannequin yr. Client prices may even embody vendor doc charges. Incentives and trade-in prices may even be a part of a shopper’s total buy price of an EV9.

So, how did Kia handle to carry the road on many of the EV9’s trims for the brand new mannequin yr in mild of all of the scary tariffs the lamestream media desires to fret you over? Effectively, constructing the EV9 in Georgia was one sensible method Kia took motion prematurely to assist trade-war-proof its EV9. Kia America’s headquarters is in Irvine, California, so search for that to finally change because it has for many sensible automakers like Toyota and Tesla, who each bailed out of the high-tax state. The place the automotive is constructed and the place the foremost elements are created have a big impression on the patron price throughout instances of commerce negotiations. Kia at all times deliberate to in-source the EV9. Like Toyota and Mazda, Kia noticed the writing on the wall, and when it launched this new mannequin to the U.S. market, it opted to construct it the place it sells it.

Here is what SeungKyu (Sean) Yoon, President and CEO for Kia North America and Kia America, stated about in-sourcing the EV9 again earlier than President Trump regained the White Home from President Biden. 

At the moment’s launch of the Kia EV9 in Georgia is the most recent instance of Kia’s dedication to the U.S. market and the state of Georgia. By means of Plan S, Kia is poised to be a pacesetter within the e-mobility sector for years to come back. Having achieved prestigious accolades corresponding to World Automotive of the Yr, World EV of the Yr, and North American Utility Car of the Yr, EV9 will probably be in wonderful palms with the workforce members at Kia Georgia, and their monitor file for assembling award-winning, world-renowned merchandise speaks for itself.

The primary U.S.-built Kia EV9s rolled off the manufacturing line on Could 30, 2024. Opened on Nov. 16, 2009, Kia Georgia is situated on 2,200 acres in West Level, Ga. The plant has an annual capability of 350,000 autos. The plant mass-produces the high-volume trims of the Kia Telluride SUV, Kia Sorento SUV, Sportage SUV, and the all-electric EV9 SUV. Along with supplying autos for the U.S. market, Kia Georgia additionally exports among the autos produced within the American plant to the Arabian Peninsula.

Does this story jive with what you’ve been advised about automotive value adjustments? Inform us your ideas within the feedback under. 

John Goreham is a long-standing member of the New England Motor Press Affiliation and an knowledgeable automobile tester. John accomplished an engineering program with a concentrate on electrical autos, adopted by 20 years of labor in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive provide chain earlier than turning into a information contributor. He’s a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). Along with his eleven years of labor at Torque Information, John has printed 1000’s of articles and opinions at American information shops. He’s recognized for providing unfiltered opinions on automobile matters. You possibly can join with John on LinkedIn and observe his work on his private X channel or on our X channel. Please observe that tales carrying John’s by-line are by no means AI-generated, however he does make use of grammar and punctuation software program when proofreading and he additionally makes use of picture technology instruments. 

Picture of Kia EV9 at a Tesla Supercharger courtesy of Kia.