South Korean automaker Kia Corp. is taking pre-orders for the EV9, its first large electric sports utility vehicle (SUV), in the United States, ahead of the official release later this year.

According to industry sources on Monday, Kia has started accepting pre-orders for the EV9 through local dealers in the U.S. since last week. Kia plans to start delivery as early as the end of November.

The starting price for the EV9 in the U.S., based on the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) excluding taxes and fees, begins at $54,900.

Despite being a large electric vehicle, the EV9’s price is set at a level similar to internal combustion engine cars in the same class, such as General Motors Co.’s Chevrolet Tahoe, sold for $54,200, and Ford Motor Co.’s Ford Expedition, sold for $55,525.

Kia hopes that the new SUV will follow in the footsteps of the success it had with its Telluride in the homeland of large vehicles.

Kia Telluride has maintained its popularity since its launch in North America in 2019. The Telluride sold 83,981 units in the first nine months of this year, making it the fourth-best-selling midsize SUV model in the U.S.

The Telluride surpassed the sales record of Honda Motor Co.’s Pilot, the Japanese automaker’s strategic model targeted for the U.S. market since 2002.

Honda’s Pilot sold 82,397 units during the same period, trailing behind the Telluride.

Palisade by Hyundai Motor Co., released in the U.S. in the same year as the Telluride, also made a name for itself as one of the top seven midsize SUVs, selling 58,857 units during the same period.

According to Kia’s recent sales figures by vehicle model, the EV9 saw 2,254 units shipped for export in August and 4,852 units in September. Considering that domestic sales of the EV9 were limited to 1,163 units last month, the quantity shipped for export is 4.2 times the domestic sales volume.

By Moon Gwang-min and Chang Iou-chung

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