Kia HabaNiro Provides Strong Clues on Design of Next-Gen Niro

We’ll spare you the hot ‘n’ spicy jokes. And we’ll spare you the portentous pronouncements about Kia’s latest concept being a “commuter, crossover, sport utility, state-of-the-art technology workroom, and adventure vehicle.” These are the two things that really matter about the Kia HabaNiro: It’s a concept based on the next-generation Hyundai-Kia BEV architecture; and, according to Kia sources, the exterior design gives a “very strong” indication of what the next-gen Niro will look like.

Unlike the current Niro, which rolls on a convergence platform designed to accommodate internal combustion engine and plug-in hybrid powertrains as well as full electric drivelines, the next-gen BEV model previewed by the HabaNiro concept will be built on a bespoke electric vehicle platform. This new platform will follow the now familiar skateboard format, with a central underfloor battery pack and e-motors front and rear on all-wheel-drive models.

Kia is claiming a 300-mile range for the HabaNiro, a significant increase over the 239-mile range claimed for the current generation car.

In design terms, the HabaNiro is a chunky yet well-proportioned crossover with strong graphic elements. Neat design ideas include the contrasting panel that defines the C-pillar, and the gray cladding that wraps from the front fascia around the front wheels and extends along the lower bodysides. Satin aluminum skid plates and milled billet aluminum tow hooks provide the perquisite off-roader attitude.

The HabaNiro’s most controversial design feature, however, is a move away from the Kia tiger-nose grille. The grille is more shark-like, a slit-like gap with gloss black aluminum “teeth” similar, says Kia, to the cooling blades found on high-end electronic equipment.

The interior—not to mention the butterfly doors that allow entry to it—is pure show car fantasy. But the technologies showcased are real live projects inside Hyundai-Kia’s R&D center.

For example, the HabaNiro features a full-width Heads-Up Display (HUD) system controlled by a concave touchpad instrument panel. What’s called a Technical Option Sharing System (TOSS) allows users to swipe and move vehicle options across the HUD screen as though moving chess pieces. The Perimeter Ventilation System (PVS) blows a curtain of air throughout the cabin, and the HabaNiro takes ambient lighting to the next level with light shining through the geometrically patterned floor to create movement that reflects onto surfaces within the cabin.

The HabaNiro also features Kia’s new Real-time Emotion Adaptive Driving (R.E.A.D.) System introduced earlier this year at CES in Las Vegas. According to Kia, R.E.A.D. can optimize and personalize a vehicle cabin space by analyzing a driver’s emotional state in real-time through artificial intelligence technology.

R.E.A.D. also enables the HabaNiro’s Eye Tracking System (ETS), which uses AI-based emotional intelligence to monitor when the driver looks up to the top of the windshield where conventional rearview mirrors are traditionally located. The AI immediately senses the driver’s need to see behind the vehicle and instantly activates a 180-degree rearview video display.

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from Motortrend http://bit.ly/2KNTbSQ