The Kia Niro EV is already on the way to showrooms across Malaysia for a July 2023 launch.
Bermaz has more of less confirmed that they’re working on bringing in the Kia Niro EV for some time now. The question has always been how soon will it arrive here. Now, we have heard rumours that this new battery electric model will be arriving in Kia showrooms nationwide as early as July 2023. And yes, that does mean that it will arrive without excise duties and import taxes attached.
That being said, don’t expect the Niro EV to come here as a budget option. It will be cheaper than the EV6 GT Line, which currently sells in Malaysia for RM300K. Instead, expect the Niro EV to come in around the RM250K mark. Maybe even a little lower with a nice, auspicious price tag with lots of ‘8’s in it.
So, what is the Kia Niro EV? The Niro itself is in its 2nd generation and it’s either available as a fully-electric model like the one we’re getting or as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (which has also been rumoured for our market, but would lack any tax breaks), or as a standard hybrid electric vehicle that doesn’t need to be plugged in. It’s a medium sized crossover designed for eco-conscious customers with lots of sustainable materials and not quite as much luxury and dynamism as the EV6.
That being said, it’s also designed with the “Opposites United” philosophy introduced by Karim Habib and takes inspiration from the HabaNiro concept car. There are boomerang-shaped LED taillights and a giant ‘aero blade’ body cladding where the C-pillar would be. The Niro EV is distinguished from the other powertrains by having this aero blade finished in Steel Grey or black depending on body colour.
The interior consists of animal-free textiles and environmentally-friendly materials such as recycled wallpaper and bio polyurethane. Kia also use BTX-free paint, which minimises the impact the Niro EV has on the planet during the production process.
The Niro EV features a 64.8 kWh battery that gives it a range of just over 400km. 85 kW DC Fast Charging enables the battery to go from 10% to 80% state of charge in under 45 minutes. With 11kW AC charging, the Niro EV takes under 7 hours to charge. The powertrain option is a 201hp motor on the front wheels.
Interestingly, the Niro has systems that use navigation cues, driving history data and more to intelligently determine when to ramp up or down regenerative braking for maximum driving range. It uses radar and road gradient information as well to ensure the regen braking brings the vehicle to a nice and gentle stop.
We’re not sure how Bermaz will be speccing the Kia Niro EV for the Malaysian market, but the Niro EV does have some interesting features and options. Vehicle-to-Load charging, Heads-Up Display, Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charigng, memory seats, Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go and Navigation-Based Curve and more are also available on the Niro EV.
