Kia EV9 points to the future of digital driving

Just tap your smartphone twice, and a new pattern appears in your vehicle's grille.

Kia EV Unplugged Ground exhibition center in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul, where visitors can test drive the EV9 and experience automotive software technologies. [KIA]

Just tap your smartphone twice, and a new pattern appears in your vehicle's grille.

The pattern may be new, but you'll never have to visit a service center for the update. All you need to do is install the Kia Connect app on your smartphone and connect it to your EV9.

This latest feature is part of Kia's effort to turn the EV9 electric SUV into a software-defined vehicle (SDV), a car with an over-the-air (OTA) system, a wireless technology drivers can use to update their car's software and add the latest features.

The EV9 is Kia's second all-electric vehicle and Korea's first large-size electric SUV. Sales began Wednesday.

Kia Connect app allows drivers to make software updates without visiting service centers. [KIA]

The EV9 is also the first Korean vehicle to have Feature on Demand (FoD) services that allow customers to selectively purchase the software. Just like a smartphone app store, drivers can connect to the Kia Connect app in the car to pay for the latest software updates.

FoD service is currently available for the vehicle's grille pattern, with five different display modes, as well as a parking assistant system, which enables drivers to remotely park and pull out their vehicles, as well as music and video streaming services.

"By applying the concept of smartphone apps to vehicles, we can convert cars into smart devices, not just a means of transportation," said Kim Do-han, a manager at Kia's connected product strategy team.

Kia's EV9 also comes with a Highway Driving Pilot (HDP) system, which enables conditional Level 3 autonomous driving in selected markets. Level 3 technology requires the driver to be present at all times in case of an intervention request.

Kia opened a renovated EV Unplugged Ground exhibition center Thursday in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul, where visitors can test drive the EV9 and experience different software technologies. It opens every day from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with reservations required.

Hyundai Motor and Kia last year announced an 18 trillion won ($13.5 billion) investment into software development by the end of 2030 with the goal of turning all of its cars into SDVs by 2025.

Visitors can experience EV9's software technologies at the Kia EV Unplugged Ground exhibition center in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul. [KIA]

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]