New Kia Niro launch just weeks away

The new-generation 2022 Kia Niro has been locked in for an Australian launch at the end of June, but the Korean brand will not offer a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the small SUV as it did with the short-lived first iteration.

Instead, the second-generation Kia Niro will offer full-electric and regular hybrid powertrain options and will do the heavy lifting on electrification for the brand, given the flagship Kia EV6 is in such short supply that it’s sold out for at least the next 18 months.

The new Niro will also herald the first application of Kia Connect in Australia, which follows other car-makers in offering a smartphone app and accompanying connected car services.

Announced just as sister brand Hyundai has today launched its own related Hyundai Bluelink program, Kia Connect promises a telematics package with everything from an emergency alert button to voice control of the climate control system and smartphone. It can also locate charging stations for the cars.

Kia Australia has now confirmed details of the new 2022 Kia Niro range, and although pricing is still to be announced, the company has revealed that there is a solid waiting list – and, crucially, plenty of supply, particularly for the EV.

In an interview with carsales, Kia Australia’s chief operating officer Damien Meredith said: “We should be able to handle supply and demand, no problem.

“The supply will be far, far better for Niro EV than EV6,” he said.

The big news is that the PHEV powertrain option will not be available, despite the fact that Kia has homologated it for the Australian market.

Kia Australia’s general manager of product planning Roland Rivero told carsales: “What we want to do is get as much supply of EV as we can for Australia.

“At the moment, the demand in Australia is either hybrid or EV. Not the middle child [PHEV].

“Our mix on the first generation was very slim on the plug-in hybrid side. It was really the others that drove the first generation. We’re looking at hybrid and EV only. Plug-in hybrid is off the books.

“We will homologate the plug-in hybrid, but we’re not going to offer it.”

Rivero admitted that things could change on the PHEV front, as people look for more electric-only range from hybrids, which is why the company took steps to have it homologated.

“There might be demand down the road, but not at the moment. When you’re getting limited stock you have to be smarter with the supply train side of things,” he said.

The new 2022 Kia Niro EV uses a single electric motor that produces the same 150kW as the first generation but, for reasons that aren’t quite clear, much less torque – 255Nm compared to the current 395Nm.

The lithium-ion battery has a comparable 64.8kWh energy density, and the driving range is a claimed 463km on the WLTP cycle – up from 455km with the first EV.

A multi-level regenerative-braking system is again fitted, but with a smart interface that can calculate the amount of regeneration required using radar and road gradient information.

The Kia Niro Hybrid uses a familiar 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 77.2kW of power and 144Nm of torque and, according to the car-maker, offers better cooling, combustion and friction reduction than the first iteration.

It combines with a 32kW electric motor for combined totals of 104kW/265Nm – identical to the first Niro hybrid.

Using a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, the hybrid has a claimed combined-cycle fuel consumption figure of 4.0L/100km. The current model manages 4.4L/100km (ADR Combined).

As before, the 2022 Kia Niro range will offer two model grades with each electrified powertrain option, but this time around the base S is joined by the higher-spec GT-Line (previously Sport).

The car is yet to be tested by ANCAP but banks a whole suite of the latest safety equipment.

New additions include a centre side airbag, multi-collision braking, electro-chromatic rear-view mirror, blind spot collision avoidance assist (BCA), rear cross traffic collision avoidance assist (RCCA) and intelligent speed limit assist (ISLA) as standard across the range.

The GT-Line will add a variety of extra creature comforts and tech, such as ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a head-up display, power tailgate, wireless phone charger, smart key, push-button start, remote smart parking assist and the new Kia Connect services.

The EV version of the GT-Line will also be fitted with a sunroof, ‘premium relaxation seat’, eight-speaker Harman Kardon sound system and vehicle-to-load (V2L) function that allows small appliances to be charged.

Meredith said the Kia Connect telematics will be “industry-leading” and offered on the new Kia Niro before being rolled out to other model lines.

“Niro will be the launchpad. We had about 40 people from the connective team come to Australia recently,” he said.

“It’s a big job. There is no third-party involvement. They are based in Singapore, in the regional hub.”

Among the features to be offered on Kia Connect are:

The first-generation Kia Niro only arrived in Australia last year, almost at the end of its lifecycle.

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