CES 2018: Kia lobs Niro EV concept
High-tech Kia electric SUV concept revealed, but it's unlikely to come to AustraliaThe future is electric, says Kia… except in Australia.
The chances of a production version of the Kia Niro EV concept, which was unveilled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week after it was teased a few days ago, being sold in Australia look pretty grim at present.
Offering a 383km (238-mile) range, the small five-seat SUV appears to be a well-resolved, practical vehicle with a tidy exterior and interior design.
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The cabin is finished in white leather, features neatly-integrated LCD screens and has one of the coolest steering wheels this side of KITT.
Aimed at the US market, the almost production-ready vehicle is packing a decent-sized 64kWh lithium-ion battery and with a powerful 150kW electric motor, so it's got more juice than the sister brand Hyundai's Ioniq EV, which makes 88kW.
Because of its silent running, the Niro EV concept has a pedestrian klaxon of sorts, sounding an audible warning if it detects pedestrians blundering into its path.
The small SUV features several driver assistance (read: autonomous) systems and also gets what Kia says is the world's first in-car 5G connection.
That's the good news.
The bad news is the Niro EV is not being considered for Australia.
As we reported last week, Kia Australia hasn't completely ruled out the vehicle, but the company's media and corporate communications manager Kevin Hepworth explained to motoring.com.au the business case doesn't work here because the car would be too expensive.
The standard Kia Niro model isn't being considered for Australia at this stage either, in either conventional or hybrid form.
Things are expected to change eventually, however, with Kia Motors confirming it will have 16 EVs available in certain markets by 2025 -- including five new hybrids and plug-in hybrids, and five new battery-electric vehicles -- with a hydrogen-powered FCEV coming in 2020.
Meanwhile, sister company Hyundai already has Australian customers for its new hydrogen SUV, the NEXO, which will arrive in Oz later in 2018.
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