The Kia Niro hybrid compact crossover will go on sale in the fourth quarter of this year, first in Korea where it will be built, and shortly afterwards in the U.S. and other parts of the world, said Michael Sprague, chief operating officer for Kia in North America. It will be followed about a year later by a plug-in hybrid.
And the automaker will look at other future vehicles that could come off Kia’s first dedicated hybrid platform. Orth Hedrick, vice president of product planning, said Kia has not been approached by Hyundai about potentially tapping the platform — but they might now that they have seen it, he said today after the concept was unveiled at the Chicago auto show.
The Niro is one of four green vehicles Kia will have on the road by the end of this year, joining the Optima hybrid, Optima plug-in hybrid, and Soul EV. The automaker is spending $10 billion by 2020 to offer 20 new or refreshed vehicles including 11 that are green. Within that $10 billion, $2 billion is being spent in the next two years, Sprague said. On the agenda: 25 percent better fuel economy across the lineup in five years; bodies that are 5 percent lighter, and replacing 70 percent of the current engine lineup.
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