New Kia Niro EV has a range of about 280 miles on a single charge

In the Consumer Electronics Show (CSE) this January Kia showed its concept Niro Electric Vehicle crossover that had a 238 mile range rivaling the Chevrolet Bolt.

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The Niro at the CES also had 5G connectivity, a new infotainment system and gesture control but did not seem bound for production. However, a new Niro EV does seem bound for showrooms.

Photos of the new Kia Niro were shown at the 5th International Electric Vehicle Expo held in Jeju South Korea. The car lacks some of the flashy add ons of the January model but otherwise largely mimics that earlier concept as well as the standard Niro hybrid.

Niro will have an excellent range on a single charge

Kia said that the NIro EV will be using a 64 kWh battery pack that will give an estimated 280 miles or 450 kilometers on a single charge. However, a separate smaller pack of 39.2 kWh from the Hyundai Kona EV is estimated to be good just for 186 miles on a charge. When tested by the EPA it may turn out the range is close to the 238 miles promised in the January model.

Price expected to be near competitors

The company announced no other details of the car or its price but it is expected to be near that of the Chevy Bolt and the lower priced versions of the Tesla Model 3 around $35,000. The 2018 Kia Soul EV which the Niro will likely replace in the US starts at $34,845.

The Niro EV will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October. It will likely go on sale in South Korea shortly afterwards and other markets will follow. It will likely appear in the US as part of Kia's promise to launch 16 eielctric vehicles globally by 2025. This includes its first fuel cell electric vehicle in 2020.

Kia Motors

Kia Motors Corporation with headquarters in Seoul, is South Korea's 2nd largest auto manufacturer after Hyundai Motor Company. In 2015 it had sales of over 3.3 million vehicles. The company is South Korea's oldest auto manufacturer having been founded in 1944.

As of December 2015 the Kia Motor Corporation became minority owned by Hyundai that has a 33.88 percent stake in the company valued at about $6 billion US dollars. In turn, Kia is a minority owner of more than 20 Hyundai subsidiaries ranging from a 4.9 percent stake up to as much as 45.37 percent. The two are often called the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group.

The company has 13 manufacturing and assembly operations in 8 different countries. They are then sold and serviced through a network of dealers and distributors in 172 different countries. It has about 40,000 full time workers world wide.

Previously published in Digital Journal