Kia today released a series of not-so-shadowy teaser images of an all-electric Niro concept that it will unveil on Monday at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
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The Kia news release did not actually say the concept is a Niro, but if you look at the photos, you see "Niro EV" emblazoned in lights across the rear bumper. Kia says the concept "represents the next step in the brand's ongoing journey to electrification." It's also a logical next step for the Niro wagon line to add a production electric model to the hybrid and new plug-in hybrid versions. And it shares mechanicals with the Hyundai electrified Ioniq line that now includes all three types of electrified cars for 2018.
The concept dresses up the Niro with some fancy LED lighting shapes, including advanced headlights, taillights and accents, but it's not clear that any of that would make it through to a production version. Kia says there also will be an "advanced new 'motion graphic' lighting system," which could involve those light dots in the concept's slimmed and stretched panel in the Niro "Tiger Nose" grille space.
There are no images of the interior, but Kia says the concept will also show off a
"never-seen-before human-machine interface," or HMI.
Along with the concept car, Kia says its display at CES will include "Beyond Autonomous Driving" interactive, cockpit-style exhibits that demonstrate new driver-assistance technologies and HMI functions, as well as what it calls the world's first in-car 5G connection. The significantly faster 5G wireless technology is seen by many as essential to the development of autonomous vehicles.
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