Kia to launch all-new Niro Hybrid Utility Vehicle (HUV)

After what seemed like round after round of spyshots, the Kia Niro is finally nearing its unveiling – the South Korean carmaker has released teaser renderings of its first global B-segment crossover ahead of its official debut slated sometime in the first half of 2016.

Since no mention is made of all-wheel drive we assume it’s envisaged as front-wheel drive only, but we are told a plug-in hybrid version will follow later in the Niro’s life-cycle. The latter sits where the torque converter normally would in the Optima Hybrid’s six-speed automatic transmission, making it an unusual entry in a battery-assisted world populated nearly exclusively by continuously-variable automatic designs.

The Niro, which it has labelled a hybrid utility vehicle, has been engineered from ground up as a dedicated hybrid, and is meant to combine the practicality of a compact SUV with the fuel-efficiency of a hybrid.

Following the popularity of the first-generation Optima Hybrid, the next-generation model will once again feature the increasingly popular hybrid powertrain, boasting a range of updates to boost fuel economy by 10% and improve the model’s packaging.

The Optima PHEV is essentially the same mechanically, but with the added wrinkle of a much larger battery – nearly six times larger, in fact, and with the ability to recharge its lithium-ion power pack via a wall socket (or, for faster 3-hour top-ups, a 240-volt charging station). “The plans we’ve announced today represent Kia’s ambition to become a worldwide leader in advanced propulsion technology”.

The Optima PHEV and HEV will offer their own distinct styling features to differentiate them from other models in the all-new Optima range. While the Niro is an all-new model, with no direct predecessors, it is still immediately recognisable as a Kia, carrying forward the company’s signature “tiger-nose” grille and a series of other design cues from the latest Kia products.

The Niro’s platform is bespoke, developed specifically for alternative-fuel drivetrains and utilising lots of ultra-high strength steel to keep weight down. Whereas the older battery-assisted Optima didn’t process the hand-off between the electric motor and the intervention of the gas engine with anything resembling grace, the new edition offers seamless hybrid operation regardless of the situation, combined with natural and linear acceleration from its six-speed automatic gearbox. In the next five years, KIA will expand its current green auto line-up from the four current models to 11, and is targeting a 25% improvement to average corporate fuel efficiency over 2014 levels. Kia is aiming to double current Optima sales of around 1,500 units a year to 3,000 cars with the PHEV.

This expanded range of low-emissions vehicles will encompass a wide range of advanced powertrains, from hybrids and plug-in hybrids to battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.