Next-generation Kia Niro debuts in Seoul

Friday, 26 November 2021

The new Niro has been revealed, sporting fresh looks inside and out.

The new Kia Niro has been revealed at the Seoul Mobility Show, bringing new looks and an updated interior.

Proportions are roughly identical to the outgoing model but the similarities end there, as the new Niro has styling cues taken from the latest Sportage, with low-slung headlights, angular front fascia, and jagged LED daytime running lights.

Details are still to be confirmed but expect hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric versions to arrive.

It’s also very close to the 2019 Habaniro Concept, which was only billed as showing “nothing other than the versatility and inventiveness of the Korean marque’s Californian design studio”. Evidently, it made a bit of an impression at Kia HQ.

There is plastic cladding stretching from the front bumper along the profile to the rear door, with more following the curve of the rear wheel arch. Long, boomerang-shaped taillights run right up to the roof are visible from the side as well, as part of an oversized C-pillar, with more lights dotting the corners of the rear bumper.

There’s a fat new C-pillar with boomerang-shaped rear lights.

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That massive rear pillar is solid, and done for better aerodynamics, Kia says. It looks a little like the blade on an Audi R8, actually…

Inside is a big step up from the old model, with lots of sustainable materials covering the cabin. Recycled wallpaper is used in the headlining, the seats are made from bio-based polyurethane and Tencel sourced from eucalyptus leaves, and a water-based paint free from polluting benzene, toluene, and xylene isomers is used on the door panels.

The cabin itself is totally redesigned, with an off-centre dash consisting of two digital screens, one behind the two-spoke steering wheel, and a new rotary gear selector. Kia calls the aesthetic “calming yet irregular.”

Kia isn’t going into detail for the powertrains just yet, but we would expect hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric variants to all launch at some stage, considering that’s what the current Niro offers. Plus, the number plates visible above confirm an EV and HEV, so a PHEV is all but a given.

The Korean brand also confirmed a new ‘Greenzone Drive Mode’, which automatically shifts electrified vehicles into electric-only mode in certain areas, such as residential areas, or nearby schools and hospitals.

It also recognises a driver's favourite places, including home and office registered in the navigation system as a green zone.

We should get more information on the new Niro before its launch in 2022.