Kia unveils new Niro EV crossover in Korea

The new Kia Niro EV has been unveiled in Korea, ahead of its European launch later this year.

A concept version of the Korean firm’s compact crossover was unveiled at the CES technology show in Las Vegas in January, but the production version was shown for the first time at the International Electric Vehicle Expo in Jeju.

The Niro EV shown in Korea will be available with a range of 236 miles from a 64kWh battery, with a version with a range of 150 miles also available. While Kia did not give the capacity of the smaller battery, Woong Chul Yang, the firm’s vice-chairman of research and development, told Autocar UK at CES that the smaller version would be a 32kWh unit.

These are understood to be the specifications for the Korean market cars, and are likely to differ from the versions that will be sold in the UK. 

The car is likely to draw on EV technology from within the Hyundai Motor Group and will feature the same powertrain as sister firm Hyundai’s Ioniq EV.

Design-wise the Niro EV is similar to the standard version, aside from the distinctive filled-in ‘parametric’ grille, which resembles the ‘interactive display panel’ of the concept version shown at CES.

Kia says it received 5000 orders for the Niro EV in Korea, where it will be go on sale later this year alongside the existing hydrogen fuel cell and plug-in hybrid versions. The Niro EV is part of Kia’s ACE (Autonomous, Connected and Eco/Electric) strategy, with a plan to offer 16 electrified vehicles by 2025.