The International Electric Vehicle Expo in South Korea seems like a sort of low-profile way to introduce what could be a huge seller, but that appears to be what just happened. Introducing the Kia Niro EV. As suspected it will come with the same two battery options as its baby brother Kona Electric -- 39.2 and 64 kWh -- with only the bigger version likely to be available in the U.S. Range for the bigger battery is given as 236 miles, though I think it's likely to be closer to 210 miles on the EPA rating system. Dimensions given are: 4,375mm in length, 1,805 mm in width, 1,560mm in height, and 2,700mm in shaft (I assume "in shaft" refers to wheelbase, but feel free to correct me)
According to this article, the Niro EV is rolling out in Korea this July and there are 5,000 existing pre-orders for it. Just tracked down video that gives us a much better look at the exterior all the way around.
This one's probably going at the top of my list for Leaf replacement in 2020. Hopefully it'll be available in Canada. The only other competitor I see currently is the upcoming mystery Nissan SUV. I don't expect the Model Y to really be available before 2022.
The Kia Niro EV has just had its officially official debut at the Busan Motor Show. The linked post says the specs have been updated, though I haven't had a chance yet to see exactly what is new. I noticed a lot of the numbers had not changed. Here's a pic of the interior, which I don't think we've seen before, (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) and below that, a video (in Korean) of the presentation which @JyChevyVolt had found and shared in a different thread.
I'll take one or two please! “Following the Busan Motor Show, the Niro EV will go on sale in Korea during the second half of 2018, and will be introduced to other markets in due course.” ..would love for this to be a good surprise for once but I suppose I ought not hold my breath. Am hoping to have a legitimate alternative to the Bolt when it's time to move on from our 13 Leaf.
