The Kia Niro follows in the Toyota mindset to build a stand-alone hybrid vehicle like the Toyota Prius. This new Kia looks like a crossover / SUV, sharing design cues with the new Sportage.
This Kia hybrid is relatively small with a full length of 163 in whereas the Kia Sportage has a full length of 176.4 in.
Kia has revealed it plans to launch the Niro which is a hybrid car and a plug-in hybrid vehicle. It is highly likely that in a not so distant future, model may also be released as an all-electric vehicle! The vehicle sits on an all-new platform that has been developed specifically to accommodate next-generation petrol-electric hybrid powertrain technologies.
The 2017 Niro will be powered by a 1.6L direct-injected “Kappa” petrol engine which generates 103 horsepower and 108 pound-feet of torque. Mated to the engine is a 6-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission -DCT.
Also included in the “mix” is the 32-kilowatt electric motor and a 1.56 kilowatt-hour lithium-polymer battery pack. Official 2017 Kia Niro mpg numbers have yet to be announced, but Kia states that the vehicle will achieve a combined 50 mpg.
