Kia’s Hwaseong, South Korea manufacturing plant is synonymous with the Optima, Spectra, Forte, the Sportage, and more. There will be a new name entering the Kia family, and it will go on sale the second half of 2016. The Niro is the newest hybrid crossover vehicle to hit the market.
Kia has plans to introduce an entire range of green vehicles, a fleet if you will, by 2020. This would bring the numbers up to about 11 models, from the Soul EV and the Optima Hybrid. The Korean automaker has several manufacturing plants and several design facilities as well.
“Our new model is designed to offer buyers everything they could want from a compact SUV in terms of practicality and styling, ” said CEO Hyoung-Keun Lee, “providing the typically low running costs associate with a dedicated hybrid powertrain.”
The Niro will have a 1.6 liter gasoline engine with power running to the wheels through a 6 speed dual clutch transmission. It will have a 32kw electric motor and will have a 1.56 kw/hour lithium polymer battery pack for excess energy storage. With the rear of the vehicle having plenty of room and hardly any overhang, because the wheels are at the corners, it has typical features expected of a Kia.
Kia plans to spend $10 billion producing this line of eco-friendly vehicles.
