Kia EV9's Coolest Feature Isn't Coming To America

After a long wait and plenty of excitement, theKia EV9has finallyreached the North American market. However, when it reaches US-based dealerships in the fourth quarter of 2023, customers may be disappointed to find one brilliant feature missing: the brilliant swivel seats.

This clever design allows the second-row passengers to rotate their seats 180 degrees and face the third row. Sadly, as a Kia spokesperson confirmed toCarBuzz, American customers won't get to enjoy this function. "Those seats don't meet the US FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards)." It's likelyFMVSS 207is infringed upon, as this article dictates how seats must be fastened within a vehicle. There is no provision for rotating seating assemblies.

That's a real shame, as the swivel seats are one of the best parts of the interior. Aside from the ability to rotate and face the rear, the system can also be used to make previously laborious tasks a lot easier than before.

The seats can, for example, be turned to face the door.As we have previously said, this would make loading a young child into a car seat much easier than before, negating the need to fumble for hidden buckles and child seat anchorages. Parents of little ones know how tricky this can be, so the feature would have come as a lifesaver to many customers in the USA.

It's worth noting that the swivel seat arrangement is only available in the six-seater configuration, so customers who were hoping to get their hands on a seven-seater won't be missing anything.

While this is disappointing, the US-spec EV9 still has plenty of other luxuries to get excited about. Kia says all passengers, even those in the rearmost row, benefit from "lounge-style" comfort levels.