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Kia Niro shares Hyundai Ioniq parts, could become an EV

It's time for the Chicago Auto Show, so it's no surprise that Kia has warmed up the chilly February air here with a green vehicle debut. This year it was the Niro, the brand's first dedicated hybrid, and it follows past Chicago debuts like the Soul EV and the Optima Hybrid. Like those vehicles, the Niro is not going to take long to get from the concept stage to showroom. Steve Kosowski, Kia Niro project manager, told AutoblogGreen that the first Niro hybrids will arrive in all 50 US states in about 11 months. The Niro will only be offered as a hybrid – both with a plug and without – but Kosowski could not say when the PHEV will arrive, other than, "a little later in the lifecycle." The standard hybrid will be certified as a 2017 model-year vehicle, but the PHEV might become a 2018, or even later. A PHEV will arrive "a little later in the lifecycle." Kia is on a mission (with Hyundai, see below) as it develops the Niro to get incredibly high fuel economy. Kosowski said that the defining mantra was, "Let's see what we can do when the resources are focused on hitting 50 miles per gallon and the only way the car is going to be built is with an electrified powertrain," he said. View 18 Photos Knowing that the Niro would have a battery allowed Kia and Hyundai engineers to plan things out together, because the Niro will share a lot of components with the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq. "The whole powertrain is essentially shared between the two," Kosowski said. "There are a few little tuning differences, but it's a 1.6 GDI, four-cylinder from the Kappa engine family that is the basis for both cars. The motor is sandwiched between the engine and the transmission, there's a clutch there. And the DCT is also shared between both cars." They both ride on the same 103-inch wheelbase, and the track width is similar as well. There might be some changes with the ratios and the tunings, Kosowski said, but the two companies are obviously working together to make these two vehicles very real, very soon. The main difference between the Niro and the Ioniq that the Kia is a CUV while the Hyundai is a sedan. "The market for electrified vehicles is changing rapidly." - Steve Kosowski Going into the process with electrification in mind meant "that the engineering, the platform layout, the way the car crashes, the way the car comes together, the way the car is assembled, all of that is engineered around having a battery," Kosowski said.

Hyundai confirms a shift to EVs, unveils fuel cell SUV

SEOUL — Hyundai confirmed on Thursday it was placing electric vehicles at the center of its product strategy — one that includes plans for a premium long-distance electric car as it seeks to catch up to Tesla and other rivals. Like Toyota, Hyundai had initially championed fuel cell technology as the future of eco-friendly vehicles but has found itself shifting to electric as Tesla shot to prominence and battery-powered cars have gained government backing in China. Hyundai's debut of its more modestly priced Ionic hybrid and electric has been well-received. But the pure electric's per-charge driving range is much shorter than the Tesla Model 3 or Chevrolet Bolt. Toyota is now also working on longer-distance, fast-charging electric vehicles. Hyundai first started signaling this strategic shift back in May when it first discussed plans to launch an electric sedan under its high-end Genesis brand in 2021 with a range of 500 km (310 miles) per charge. It will also introduce an electric version of its Kona small crossover with a range of 390 km in the first half of next year. "We're strengthening our eco-friendly car strategy, centering on electric vehicles," Executive Vice President Lee Kwang-guk told a news conference, calling the technology mainstream and realistic. The automaker and affiliate Kia, which together rank fifth in global vehicle sales, also said they were adding three plug-in vehicles to their plans for eco-friendly cars, bringing the total to 31 models by 2020. Underscoring Hyundai's electric shift, those plans include eight battery-powered and two fuel-cell vehicles — a contrast to its 2014 announcement for 22 models, of which only two were slated to be battery-powered. Hyundai also confirmed a Reuters report that it is developing its first scaleable, dedicated electric vehicle platform, which will allow the company to produce multiple models with longer driving ranges. HYDROGEN SUV Hyundai unveiled a near production version of its new fuel cell SUV with a driving range of more than 580 km per charge, compared with the 415 km for its current Tucson fuel cell SUV. The mid-sized SUV will be launched in Korea early next year, followed by U.S. and European markets. A fuel cell electric bus is slated to be unveiled late this year, while a sedan-type fuel cell car is also planned. Even so, analysts noted that gaining traction with fuel cells was going to be a long hard slog partly due to a lack of charging infrastructure.

Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid breaks cover, but will U.S. get it?

Kia teased a Sorento PHEV earlier this year when it revealed what powertrains would be available for the redesigned crossover. Today, we have the details on this forthcoming plug-in hybrid variant. The only catch is the lack of U.S. market information. Kia has revealed the Sorento PHEV for Europe, but there’s no word on whether it will come here, too. After seeing the powertrain details, though, we think thereÂ’s a very good chance it could succeed in America. For starters, the plug-in Sorento is powerful. It uses a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and a single electric motor for forward motion, resulting in 261 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque combined. The 1.6-liter engine takes advantage of HyundaiÂ’s new CVVD technology to boost efficiency and power. And the electric motor is new and improved for this model, benefiting from a new two-stage lamination process to reduce noise and vibration levels. A six-speed automatic transmission handles shifting duties. Kia is packing a 13.8 kWh lithium-ion battery pack underneath. Range estimates are not yet available, but Kia says its “all-electric range will be sufficient to enable drivers to complete most short drives on electric power alone.” WeÂ’re guessing it will be something around 25 miles in EPA testing, assuming we ever see EPA estimated figures. Kia is introducing new battery tech with this model, too. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid will be the first Kia to use an independent battery pack water-cooling system. Kia says it ensures optimal heat management and efficiency of the battery pack. Luggage capacity is essentially unaffected, losing just 0.14 cubic-foot of space versus the standard Hybrid. Everything remains the same visually except for “eco plug-in” badges and the presence of a charge port. The 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is reprogrammed to display pertinent information for the new powertrain, and the 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system will feature charge port finder functionality. Kia says Sorento Plug-In Hybrid sales will start in early 2021 in select markets. No official U.S. information is available at this time, but weÂ’ve asked Kia to tell us what it can and will update this post when we hear back. Related Video: