The Kia Niro ( ko, 기아 니로) is a

compact crossover SUV Compact crossover SUV is an automobile classification used mainly in North America to describe a segment of crossover SUV, a type of sport utility vehicle, between subcompact crossover SUV and mid-size crossover SUV. By late 2010s, the segme ...

( C-segment) manufactured by Kia since 2016. It is an

electrification Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic histo ...

-focused vehicle, offering three versions:

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...

plug-in hybrid A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a hybrid electric vehicle whose battery pack can be recharged by plugging a charging cable into an external electric power source, in addition to internally by its on-board internal combustion engin ...

and battery electric variants. __TOC__

First generation (DE; 2016)

The first-generation Niro was introduced in 2016. Based on the same platform as the Hyundai Ioniq, Kia opted to use

dual-clutch transmission A dual-clutch transmission (DCT) (sometimes referred to as a twin-clutch transmission) is a type of multi-speed vehicle transmission system, that uses two separate clutches for odd and even gear sets. The design is often similar to two separ ...

instead of the more traditional

continuously variable transmission A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is an automatic transmission that can change seamlessly through a continuous range of gear ratios. This contrasts with other transmissions that provide a limited number of gear ratios in fixed steps. ...

found in most other hybrids to offer a more engaging driving experience. The size is between the Stonic and Sportage, and very close to the XCeed. In Europe, the Niro was launched in a choice of seven colours and either 16- or 18-inch wheels. It was the first Kia model to feature Android Auto, available from its launch, while Apple CarPlay was made available towards the end of 2016. Seven airbags were included as standard, along with other safety features including autonomous braking, smart cruise control and lane departure warning to name a few. Noise reduction was a key development focus, with Kia achieving a quieter cabin by use of increased front structure insulation and the use of acoustic windshield glass. Full production started in May 2016 in

Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Hwaseong () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It has the largest area of farmland of any city or county in Gyeonggi Province. Seoul Subway Line 1 passes through Hwaseong, stopping at Byeongjeom Station. Suin Bundang Line also passes ...

, South Korea, with European sales from the third quarter of 2016. A plug-in version was launched in the United Kingdom in the end of 2017, and in the United States in the beginning of 2018, with an electric version launched in 2018. Towards the end of 2018 and start of 2019, sales of the Niro PHEV ranked highly in

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and Sweden in a list of top plug-in car sales. The Niro received a facelift in 2019 which included changes to the front and rear bumpers, as well as new headlights and color choices. Unlike the prototypes, no production version was ever offered with four wheel drive.

Hybrid (HEV)

The 2017 Kia Niro Hybrid was unveiled at the 2016 Chicago Auto Show. A subcompact hybrid utility vehicle, the model's exterior design is marketed as "un-hybrid", saying it is more conventional than other hybrid cars. The Niro uses a hybrid powertrain producing altogether , and returns a fuel economy of by also using lightweight materials, including high strength steel and aluminium. Its traction battery has a capacity of 1.56 kWh which weighs , with Kia claiming that this offers up to 50 per cent increased energy density and 13 per cent more energy efficiency than rivals. From 2017 onwards, the hybrid does not feature a conventional lead-acid starter 12-volt battery; instead, a 12-volt lithium battery is housed adjacent to the traction battery. This innovation saves weight and maintenance. In its first month on sale, the Niro hit an all time sales record in the green car market in South Korea, even beating the Hyundai Ioniq. File:2017 Kia Niro 2 S-A Eco Hybrid 1.6 Front.jpg, 2017 Niro Hybrid (pre-facelift) File:2017 Kia Niro 2 S-A Eco Hybrid 1.6 Rear.jpg, 2017 Niro Hybrid (pre-facelift) File:2022 Kia Niro (facelift), rear 5.12.22.jpg, 2022 Niro Hybrid (facelift) File:2017 Kia Niro Interior.jpg, Interior

Plug-in hybrid (PHEV)

A plug-in electric vehicle (PHEV) variant has been offered since September 2018, featuring an 8.9 kWh battery. The Kia Niro and Niro Plug in Hybrid form part of Kia hybrid range, that also includes the Optima Plug-in Hybrid and Optima Sportswagon Plug-in Hybrid. The Kia Niro went on sale in South Korea on 31 March 2016. The plug-in has the same

as the hybrid variant, an important differentiator from most other hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles which use a

. The Niro PHEV was the best selling plug-in car in Denmark in December 2018, with 1,113 sales representing a 24% share, ahead of the

Nissan Leaf The , stylized as LEAF, is a compact five-door hatchback battery electric vehicle (BEV) manufactured by Nissan. It was introduced in Japan and the United States in December 2010, and its second generation was introduced in October 2017. The L ...

which took a 14% share respectively. In Sweden during February 2019, the Niro PHEV claimed 2nd position and share of 11%, behind the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV with a 17% share. Although Kia claimed that the variant could obtain a fuel economy of , real-world tests suggested in one test and in another. In 2019, Kia announced facelifted versions of its Niro hybrid variants, with new front and rear bumpers, lights and wheels among the changes to its line-up. LED headlights and fog lights became an optional extra, while two new colours red-orange and plum were added. File:2018 Kia Niro 3 PHEV S-A 1.6.jpg, 2018 Niro PHEV (pre-facelift) File:Kia Niro PHEV Back IMG 0274.jpg, 2018 Niro PHEV (pre-facelift) File:2019 Kia Niro.jpg, 2019 Niro PHEV (facelift)

Gasoline engine

Both the hybrid and the plug-in hybrid versions of the Niro feature a gasoline engine.

Niro EV/e-Niro

A battery electric version of the Niro was launched in 2018 at the International Electric Vehicle Expo in Korea, named Niro EV in Asia and North America and e-Niro in Europe. It shares powertrain and battery configuration with the

Hyundai Kona Electric Hyundai is a South Korean industrial conglomerate ("chaebol"), which was restructured into the following groups: * Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested ** Hyundai Mobis, Korean car parts company ** Hyundai As ...

. Niro EV is available in two battery versions: 39.2 kWh and 64 kWh. The batteries are

liquid-cooled Liquid cooling refers to cooling by means of the convection or circulation of a liquid. Examples of liquid cooling technologies include: * Cooling by convection or circulation of coolant, including water cooling * Liquid cooling and ventilatio ...

lithium ion polymer. Batteries are manufactured/supplied by SK Innovation, which is different from the Kona Electric, which uses batteries from

LG Chem LG Chem Ltd. (Korean: LG화학), often referred to as LG Chemical, is the largest Korean chemical company and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It was the 10th largest chemical company in the world by sales in 2017. It was first established ...

. The 39.2 kWh version is propelled by a 100 kW (134 hp) permanent-magnet electric motor with 395 Nm (291 lb-ft) of torque and can travel up to 288 km (179 mi) on one charge, according to WLTP, while the 64 kWh version offers 455 km (283 mi) of WLTP range and has a more powerful 150 kW (201 hp) motor producing the same amount of torque. Both cars are

front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longi ...

. In the US, the Niro EV has an official EPA range of on a full charge. Both versions have a CCS charge port which enables DC rapid charging at up to 77 kW. The onboard charger power is 7.2 kW or optionally 11 kW. On 3 May 2022, pre-orders of the Niro EV began in South Korea. The Niro EV is equipped with a 64.8 kWh high-voltage battery, smart regenerative braking system 2.0, a

heat pump A heat pump is a device that can heat a building (or part of a building) by transferring thermal energy from the outside using a refrigeration cycle. Many heat pumps can also operate in the opposite direction, cooling the building by removing ...

, and a battery heating system. And it can run 463 km (WLTP combined) on a single charge. Also, the battery conditioning function is applied to automatically adjust the battery temperature according to the external environment. File:2019 Kia Niro EV First Edition.jpg, alt=Kia e-Niro front-side view, 2019 e-Niro File:Kia e-Niro Monrepos 2019 IMG 1944.jpg, alt=Kia e-Niro rear view photo, 2018 e-Niro File:Kia Niro EV (2021) IMG 5418.jpg, 2021 e-Niro File:Kia Niro EV (2021) IMG 5419.jpg, 2021 e-Niro

Niro Plus

Kia introduced the Kia Niro Plus in April 2022. Released in South Korea from the second half of 2022, the Niro Plus is a new variant of the Niro that maximises the onboard space by increasing the height of the vehicle by 80 mm, and by using thinner seats. The total length also increases by 10 mm. The second-row legroom was expanded by 28 mm by adjusting the position of the second-row seat. In addition, the taxi model was applied by additionally applying the power seat and reclining function of the Dongseungseok and lowering the height of the Dongseungseok headrest by 43 mm. An integrated All-in-One Display for taxi model includes navigation, app taximeter, digital tachograph and voice recognition. Two variants are offered: the Kia Niro Plus Taxi (specifically intended for cab drivers and only available in BEV) and the Kia Niro Plus (open to all types of customers and available in HEV, PHEV and BEV). The latter will be exported overseas. All-in-one display is applied with AI assistant technology associated with navigation system, informing remaining battery amount at destination or suggesting route via charging station when remaining battery amount is insufficient. 00 Kia Niro Plus.jpg, 2022 Kia Niro Plus Front 00 Kia Niro Plus 1.jpg, 2022 Kia Niro Plus Rear

Safety

Euro NCAP

Euro NCAP The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) is a European voluntary car safety performance assessment programme (i.e. a New Car Assessment Program) based in Leuven (Belgium) formed in 1996, with the first results released in Februa ...

test results for a LHD variant on a registration from 2016:

2016 Guinness World Record

In December 2016, the Niro officially received a

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

title for the lowest fuel consumption by a hybrid vehicle, as it travelled from Los Angeles to New York City with a fuel consumption record of . This record had last been held by the

Kia Optima Hybrid The Kia K5, formerly known as the Kia Optima, is a mid-size car manufactured by Kia since 2000 and marketed globally through various nameplates. First generation cars were mostly marketed as the Optima, although the Kia Magentis name was used i ...

in 2011, with a fuel consumption average of .

Second generation (SG2; 2021)

The second-generation Niro was released at the 2021 Seoul Mobility Show on 25 November. The front part extended the Tiger Face design from the hood to the fender. A C-pillar integrated with a boomerang-shaped LED rear combination lamp was applied to the side, and a vertical LED rear combination lamp was applied to the rear. In the interior, recycled fibres were used on the ceiling of the vehicle and water-friendly paint without benzene, toluene, and xylene was added to the door panel. The bio-artificial leather sheet used fibres made from raw materials extracted from eucalyptus leaves. It is also equipped with driver assistance systems and infotainment such as head-up displays, remote smart parking assistance, rear passenger notification, and smart power tailgate. The model was officially launched on 25 January 2022, while the second-generation Niro EV debuted in April 2022. File:Kia Niro (SG2) PHEV 1X7A6012.jpg, Rear view File:Kia Niro (SG2) PHEV Leonberg 2022 1X7A0528.jpg, Interior

Powertrain

Reception

Popular Mechanics ''Popular Mechanics'' (sometimes PM or PopMech) is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do-it-yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation and transportation o ...

'' named the 2019 Kia Niro EV as its 2019 Car of the Year, praising it for its normal looks, 239-mile range, and that it can use Volkswagen Group of America's Electrify America chargers to allow the car to be used on long car trips. The UK's ''

What Car? ''What Car?'' is a British monthly automobile magazine and website, currently edited by Steve Huntingford and published by Haymarket Consumer Media. Other team members include deputy editor Darren Moss and test editors Will Nightingale, Neil ...

'' magazine named the Kia e-Niro its 2019 Car of the Year – the first time the prize had been awarded to an electric vehicle. The car was chosen as one of the Top 10 Tech Cars by the

IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operati ...

in 2018.

Concept models

Concept (2013)

Festival automobile international 2018 - Kia Niro concept - 004

The Kia Niro concept debuted at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show. The car, designed almost entirely by Peter Schreyer at Kia's Frankfurt studio, is a sporty three door subcompact crossover, with

butterfly doors Butterfly doors are a type of car door sometimes seen on high-performance cars. They are slightly different from scissor doors. While scissor doors move straight up via hinge points at the bottom of a car's A-pillar, butterfly doors move up ...

that open into the roof panel. The front wheels are powered by the 1.6-litre '' Gamma''

inline-4 A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the ...

producing mated with a seven speed rotary-shifted

, while a 45 hp electric hybrid system powers the rear wheels when driving in rougher road conditions.

KX–3 concept

The Kia KX–3 concept followed at the November 2014

Guangzhou Auto Show China (Guangzhou) International Automobile Exhibition (), also called Guangzhou International Motor Show () or Auto Guangzhou (), is an auto show held by Guangzhou Zhanlian Exhibition Service Co., Ltd, in November and December every year in the G ...

. Inspired by the earlier Niro concept, it has grown larger in size into a compact SUV, measuring long and wide. A

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

1.6-litre engine delivers power to all four wheels via a seven speed dual clutch transmission.

Sales

References

External links

* {{Kia North America Niro Niro Mini sport utility vehicles Crossover sport utility vehicles Front-wheel-drive vehicles Euro NCAP small family cars Hybrid vehicles 2010s cars Cars introduced in 2016 Production electric cars