The Kia EV9 has won the coveted gold trophy at the 2024 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) presented by the International Designers Society of America (IDSA).
The award marks the first IDEA Gold for Kia and a clear win of the three most prestigious global design awards for the brand, following the EV9's successes at the Red Dot "Best of Best" and iF Design Gold awards earlier this year.
Kia received the prestigious gold trophy in the Automotive and Transportation category for its all-electric flagship SUV EV9 at the IDEA 2024 Awards ceremony, held on September 12 at the Palmer Events Center in Austin, Texas. This award reinforces the design excellence and originality of the EV9, as well as the innovative nature of Kia's acclaimed "Opposites United" design philosophy.
Karim Habib, Executive Vice President and Head of Kia Global Design, stated: "At Kia and guided by the principles of our design philosophy 'Opposites United', we are committed to creating inspiring and authentic products that meet customers' emotional needs as powerfully as their demands for mobility, practicality and sustainability.
Good design should always represent the relationship between our users, our products and our brand, and we believe EV9 achieves this. To be recognised for the creative and innovative nature of our design values - first by the Red Dot and iF Design Awards and now with a gold award at IDEA - is extremely gratifying, not only for the Kia design team, but for all our colleagues worldwide. Such recognition inspires us to continue to pursue innovative sustainable mobility solutions for our customers."
Unpacking of the award-winning EV design9
EV9 represents the essence of "Opposites United", which harnesses the creative tension created by the divergent values of nature and modernity to offer a harmonious whole.
This philosophy inspired Kia's designers to break free from conventional thinking and create an innovative EV with a bold and authentic character that pushes the boundaries of design, usability, connectivity and environmental responsibility.
The EV9 is characterised by clean lines and smooth surfaces, while features such as the Tiger Face digital mask, Digital Pattern lighting mask and vertical headlights contribute to its unique futuristic charm. These quality aesthetic elements helped the EV9 win top honors at the Red Dot and iF Design awards and secure a gold award at IDEA 2024.
This year marks the 44th anniversary of the IDEA, making it one of the longest-running and most recognised global design awards programmes. Unaffected by changing fashions or passing styles, the annual competition focuses solely on identifying and honoring the pinnacle of design excellence. EV9's Gold Trophy in the Cars and Transportation category comes seven years after the Kia Telluride Concept won the IDEA Bronze Award in 2017.
The EV9 is the spearhead of Kia's strategic commitment to maintain its leadership position in global sustainable mobility. The all-electric seven-seat SUV was the first production car to feature Kia's 10 'essential' sustainable elements, which have been incorporated into all new models from the brand and embodies Kia's commitment to natural and bio-based materials.
Since its launch in 2023, the EV9's design values and broad customer appeal have made it an iconic global success. In addition to the Red Dot, iF Design and IDEA awards, the EV9 won two awards at the 2024 World Car Awards overall as the winner ("World Car of the Year") and as the best electric vehicle ("World Electric Vehicle").
