2011 Kia Soul Plus Hatchback 4-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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Kia Niro shares Hyundai Ioniq parts, could become an EV

It's time for the Chicago Auto Show, so it's no surprise that Kia has warmed up the chilly February air here with a green vehicle debut. This year it was the Niro, the brand's first dedicated hybrid, and it follows past Chicago debuts like the Soul EV and the Optima Hybrid. Like those vehicles, the Niro is not going to take long to get from the concept stage to showroom. Steve Kosowski, Kia Niro project manager, told AutoblogGreen that the first Niro hybrids will arrive in all 50 US states in about 11 months. The Niro will only be offered as a hybrid – both with a plug and without – but Kosowski could not say when the PHEV will arrive, other than, "a little later in the lifecycle." The standard hybrid will be certified as a 2017 model-year vehicle, but the PHEV might become a 2018, or even later. A PHEV will arrive "a little later in the lifecycle." Kia is on a mission (with Hyundai, see below) as it develops the Niro to get incredibly high fuel economy. Kosowski said that the defining mantra was, "Let's see what we can do when the resources are focused on hitting 50 miles per gallon and the only way the car is going to be built is with an electrified powertrain," he said. View 18 Photos Knowing that the Niro would have a battery allowed Kia and Hyundai engineers to plan things out together, because the Niro will share a lot of components with the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq. "The whole powertrain is essentially shared between the two," Kosowski said. "There are a few little tuning differences, but it's a 1.6 GDI, four-cylinder from the Kappa engine family that is the basis for both cars. The motor is sandwiched between the engine and the transmission, there's a clutch there. And the DCT is also shared between both cars." They both ride on the same 103-inch wheelbase, and the track width is similar as well. There might be some changes with the ratios and the tunings, Kosowski said, but the two companies are obviously working together to make these two vehicles very real, very soon. The main difference between the Niro and the Ioniq that the Kia is a CUV while the Hyundai is a sedan. "The market for electrified vehicles is changing rapidly." - Steve Kosowski Going into the process with electrification in mind meant "that the engineering, the platform layout, the way the car crashes, the way the car comes together, the way the car is assembled, all of that is engineered around having a battery," Kosowski said.

Kia Niro EV revealed in Korea

The Kia Niro EV has been introduced at the Busan International Motor Show. The manufacturer says its fully electric Niro compact crossover will go on sale in its home market this year, with global sales starting later. Kia already showed the production Niro EV last month, but at that point no power figures were announced. We know them now, and the 204-horsepower rating, together with a 291 pound-foot figure, match the Hyundai Kona EV. Under the trunk floor is a 64-kWh lithium polymer battery pack, which according to Kia is good for 236 miles on a single charge. A 100kW fast charger will get the battery to 80 percent capacity in 54 minutes. There's also a smaller battery pack available with a 149-mile range from 39.2 kWh. This presumably comes with a cheaper purchase price. Also revealed is the Niro EV interior, which features a different center console and gear selector than the hybrid and plug-in hybrid (much as the Hyundai Ioniq Electric does compared to its part-gasoline siblings). Also different is the special LCD instrument cluster and the 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system that gets special EV features like charge point location services and a battery pack charge indicator. A mood lighting system is also offered, similarly to the K900 flagship sedan. There's also a driver assist suite, consisting of collision warning systems, adaptive cruise control, "Intelligent Stop & Go" and Lane Following Assist, which Kia calls a Level Two autonomous technology. Like other such systems, it uses the adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist systems to control the accelerator, brakes and steering when on a highway. The system functions between 0 and 80 mph. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Kia Niro EV Image Credit: Kia Kia Crossover SUV Electric

LeBron James to rep Kia K900

"I was a Kia K900 driver and fan before we decided to become partners, so I'm really excited to be Kia's first-ever luxury ambassador." - LeBron James
LeBron James is taking his talents to Kia.