New Kia Niro primed for OTA performance boosts

Over-the-air (OTA) performance boosts for electric vehicles will soon be added to the new Kia Connect telematics system that is now launching in Australia with the second-generation 2022 Kia Niro small SUV.

Kia Connect is the headline equipment addition for the new Kia Niro, which is now on sale.

Paired with a smartphone app, Kia Connect will be introduced throughout the Kia range as models launch or are upgraded. The updated Kia Seltos small SUV will be the next recipient.

However, the 430kW Kia EV6 GT electric performance car won’t get the system when it arrives around the end of 2022. Kia Connect will be added when the range is facelifted.

Kia Connect should be fitted to every Kia model line by 2024. Hooked up via the Optus 4G network, it is being offered complimentary for seven years.

The system has been an 18-month project to prepare for Australian introduction, with 30 engineers from Kia in Korea based at local HQ in Sydney during development.

The performance update capability is expected to be part of a phase two expansion of system features approximately 12 months away that will introduce OTA updates and features on demand.

The facelifted Kia Sorento large SUV and Kia Carnival people-mover are due in 2023 and are expected to get the second phase of Kia Connect.

A third phase of Kia Connect is roughly a further 12 months away.

“By the time we get to phase three this system will be industry-leading,” promised Kia Australia product planning chief Roland Rivero.

Kia currently sells the Kia EV6 and Kia Niro EVs in Australia, but many more electrified models are coming.

“I don’t want to give too much away but you may be able to buy a bit more performance,” confirmed Rivero when asked about the OTA features of Kia Connect.

“You may say, ‘I want to go from a certain figure 0-100km/h to an even quicker figure 0-100km/h’ and that could be something you could purchase.

“That’s the kind of example where it [Kia Connect] starts to get really cool.” 

EV specialists Tesla and Polestar already offer OTA performance boosts for models in their range. Other brands offer non-performance OTAs, including Ford for the top-selling Ranger ute.

Most recently, a $1600 upgrade for the Polestar 2 Long Range Dual Motor was announced that added 50kW and 20Nm, cut the 0-100km/h dash time from 4.7 to 4.4 seconds and boosted mid-range acceleration.

Previously known as Uvo in other markets, Kia Connect comes with a range of features that are broadly similar to telematics systems offered by other car brands today.

A slate of safety, security and convenience features includes automatic collision notification, stolen vehicle immobilisation (as long as a signed police warrant is provided), scheduled charging, voice recognition and the transmission of real-time data into the car like weather, traffic and charging station locations.

The app includes driving records, diagnostics such as range and charge status and alerts for geofence and timefence breaches.

Remote door lock and unlock, pre-heating and demist, destination upload and a locator (when you can’t find the car in that shopping centre car park) are also part of the package.

The system is only suitable for Kia models with embedded satellite navigation systems, which means it is only fitted to the top-spec Kia Niro GT-Line and not the entry-level S.

Three of the four Kia Seltos models get embedded sat-nav so only the base model will miss out on Kia Connect.

Eventually, the intention is to roll out standard navigation and the tied telematics system in all Kia models sold in Australia.

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