Step by step, Kia is gaining experience with hybrid vehicles and starts rolling tis type of vehicles on the market. During this year Los Angeles Motor Show, Kia unveiled the 2018 Niro Plug-in Hybrid model, third plug-in model, anticipated in retailer showrooms by the end of this year.
Rated at an EPA-estimated 26 miles of All-Electric Range, Niro PHEV can help some drivers consume less gasoline in most driving conditions and in all-electric mode it produces zero emissions. And with the total driving range rated at up to an estimated 560 miles, Niro Plug-in Hybrid can have also an all—pure EV daily driving and the ability to take long road trips.
The Niro Plug-in Hybrid is yet another vehicle introduced under the Kia Motors EcoDynamics sub-brand and represents an important next step on the path to nearly tripling the brand’s global lineup of alternative fuel vehicles by 2020, which includes the Niro, Optima Hybrid, Optima PHEV and the Soul EV.
The new Niro Plug-in Hybrid offers a few PHEV-exclusive touches, such as a subtly-modified front grille insert and surround, hybrid blue exterior accents, available LED headlamps, a charge port door (on left front fender), available 7-inch color meter cluster with digital tachometer and “ECO/Plug-In” badges.
The Niro PHEV pairs an all-aluminum, efficient 1.6-liter GDI (gasoline direct injection) four-cylinder engine with an 8.9 kWh (59 kW) lithium-polymer battery pack and a powerful 60-HP (44.5 kW) electric motor, a set-up for optimum fuel efficiency and electrically driven range. While the Niro PHEV boasts an MPGe rating of 105, its EPA-estimated MPG ratings of 48 mpg city, 44 mpg highway and 46 mpg/combined are similar to those of Niro hybrid.
