Arriving in Europe 2023

Bjorn Nyland shot a video on the concept car:

 

It’s looking more production ready in these new shots from Germany. This is the one I’m waiting for.
https://insideevs.com/news/603127/kia-ev9-electric-suv-spied-nurburgring/

 

Now that the EV tax law is signed, I might have to rethink both Kia and Hyundai, since they won’t qualify for the $7500 credit.

 

Is there a US-made EV9 competitor on the horizon? I'm sure there will be a 3-row US EV SUV some day, but until then the EV9 will be the only choice--assuming Kia decides to bring the EV9 to the US. Based on the way Kia dealers gouge customers for the EV6, they would probably eat up the $7,500 EV tax credit with their "market adjustment" mark-ups.

 

Probably Rivian R1S and Tesla Model X. The R1S "might" qualify if you get the base model.

 

I don’t think we are going to have to wait very long. GM and Ford already have full size pickups in production and these EV box on frames designs can easily be adopted to the Yukon, Tahoe and Expedition. If you want something smaller, there soon may be a 3-row Traverse variant of the Blazer EV. I still have my reservation for a F150 Lightning.

The F150L is a little big and won’t even fit in my garage but it does have tremendous towing capabilities. I have already had my reservation for over a year and I will most likely have to wait at least another year before I will be able to take delivery. If I wait for an SUV EV with similar towing capabilities I will have to wait at least a couple of more years.

If you are really hung up on 3-row seating, it’s legal at least in Texas for people to sit in truck beds. As crazy as car prices are now, I can probably sell the F150L at a profit in a few years and buy a 3-row EV SUV when they come out. In the meantime I will be driving a very nice 4x4 EV pickup.


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs

 

I'm surprised they both went pickup first. I'd expect the market for Yukon/Tahoe/Expedition variants to be greater demand than that for an EV pickup. However, even if my market sense is wrong, it doesn't matter to these companies because there are no EV pickups languishing on dealer lots.

It must be interesting to be a product planner planning a product you know can't be produced in the numbers required to meet the expected demand. In the olden days it mattered what a vehicle looked like and what features it has. Now production capability is what controls sales.

Certainly, there will be a category of EVs designed to meet the requirements of the IRA. How long before there's a name for this category? IRAmobiles? EVIRAs? If production ever catches up, I assume there will be strong competitive pressures within that category.

Then it will be interesting to see what happens with the more expensive EVs. It wouldn't make sense to sell an EV that costs just a grand more than the IRA limit, so there will probably be a big price jump to the next level of EVs. What will they offer to make them worth the big jump in price?

 

Vinfast will be bringing the VF9 next year. It looks good, but I’m skeptical about service and the battery subscription. They’ll only be available in California to start, so that leaves me out anyway.
https://shop.vinfastauto.us/s/Vinfast-US/en_US/VF-9.html

Lucid is working on the Gravity, a 3-row SUV, but it will probably be well over $80K.

I was also hoping Ford/Lincoln would produce the Explorer/Aviator as an EV in the next year or two, but it looks like they’re being pushed to 2025.

Another option will be the VW ID.Buzz. I watched a few YouTube test drives of the European model. The US version will be longer, and have AWD with larger motors and batteries.

I’m sure there will be a number of options within the next 2-4 years. For the time being, I’m enjoying my Mustang Mach-E. I’ll hold onto it until a 3-row comes out that makes sense for me.