Kia EV9 named NACTOY 2024

Kia EV9, the signature large all-electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) of South Korea’s No. 2 automaker Kia Corp., was named “2024 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year" at North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle (NACTOY.) 

This is the third occasion in five years that the NACTOY jury has named a Kia vehicle as its top choice in the category, and the second win for a Kia electric vehicle (EV).

The EV9 was selected by 50 automotive experts from print, online, radio, and broadcast media. As part of the evaluation process, NACTOY jurors tested vehicles ranging from sports cars to pickup trucks, and assessed criteria including automotive innovation, design, safety features, performance, technology, driver satisfaction, user experience, and value.

The EV9 rose to the finalists in the 2024 North American Car of the Year utility vehicle category with Hyundai Motor Co. 's Kona (including electric vehicle), and Genesis Electrified GV70. This marked the first instance of foreign automotive groups, excluding the US, occupying all three finalist positions in the North American Car of the Year.

Hyundai Motor Group has achieved a record of five wins in the past six years. This victory is the eighth for Hyundai Motor Group in the history of the North American Car of the Year awards.

NACTOY is well-known as the Oscar of the automotive industry, attaining the highest global authority. The NACTOY Board was established in 1994 and annually selects the best car among those released in the respective year.

The models selected in previous years include the Hyundai Genesis Sedan (BH) in 2009, Hyundai Elantra in 2012, Genesis G70 in 2019, Hyundai Kona in 2020, Kia Telluride in 2020,  and Hyundai Elantra in 2021, and EV6 in 2023.

Write to Il-Gue Kim at black0419@hankyung.com