Kia Niro EV on sale later this year

Kia Motors revealed its new Niro EV at the 2018 Busan International Motor Show on June 7 in Korea.

It will be on sale in Korea later this year, with global sales to follow, and has a 380km range.

In addition to the Niro EV, Kia Motors also presented two other vehicles at the show – the Kia SP Concept and the Kia Stinger GT Wide Body, both making their Korean debut.

Kia’s star of the Busan show, the Niro EV is an all-electric crossover utility vehicle.

Buyers will also benefit from a range of EV-exclusive in-car technologies, new safety features, and stand-out exterior and interior design.

“The Niro EV will be Kia’s second globally-sold electric vehicle, following the immensely popular Soul EV,” Kia Motors president and chief executive officer Han-woo Park says.

The Niro EV differs from the existing Niro Hybrid and Niro Plug-in Hybrid with a series of exclusive design features.

Its futuristic and aerodynamic ‘tiger-nose’ grille features an integrated charging port, bearing a debossed Niro logo. Redesigned air intakes and new arrowhead-shaped LED daytime running lights combine with light blue trim highlights.

The Niro EV rides on new five-spoke 17-inch aluminium alloy wheels with a diamond-cut two-tone finish, housing Kia’s regenerative braking system.

At the back, reshaped rear bumpers feature similar light blue highlights to those found at the front, while new LED rear lights give the Niro EV its own light signature.

The dashboard features new light blue trim, echoing that of the exterior, while the design of the centre console has been simplified to accommodate the car’s shift-by-wire drive selector – Kia’s first ‘dial’-style shift knob.

The Niro EV features a new mood lighting system.

A seven-inch touchscreen human-machine interface (HMI) remains at the centre of the dash, but has been updated to offer a series of EV-specific features. The new infotainment system enables owners to locate nearby charging points and monitor the level of charge and range remaining from the battery pack.

The instrument cluster – a seven-inch colour-LCD display – is also unique to the Niro EV, enabling the driver to intuitively check driving and EV powertrain information on-the-move. A battery display light enables owners to quickly see the car’s charging status at a glance from outside the car.

It has a high-capacity 64kWh lithium-polymer battery pack and can be charged to 80% in 54 minutes from a 100kW fast charger.

An optional 39.2kWh lithium-polymer battery pack is available, with a 240km range.

Power is provided to the front wheels through a 150kW motor, producing 395Nm torque from a standstill, enabling the Niro EV to accelerate to 100km/h in 7.8 seconds.

Advanced driver assistance systems support drivers in various environments and driving scenarios.