- kia has teased the second-generation niro crossover with a set of dark images.
- the niro will draw heavily upon the habaniro concept, with similar lighting signatures and a two-tone body.
- the niro will be unveiled at the seoul mobility show in south korea on november 25.
kia used the los angeles auto show to reveal the blocky ev9 concept, previewing a full-sized electric suv that is due in 2024. now kia is preparing to unveil another eco-friendly model, the second-generation niro crossover, and has released these teaser images. the new niro will be shown in full at the seoul mobility show on november 25, with a u.s.-specific launch likely happening later.
the current niro has been in production since the 2017 model year, so a redesign is long overdue. kia says the new niro will be influenced by the habaniro concept first seen at the 2019 new york auto show. although most of the bodywork is obscured, both the u-shaped leds and the thin bar running the full width of the front end look very similar to the lighting elements from the concept. at the rear, the vertical lights are carried over from the concept, as is the thick, red-painted c-pillar. it's unclear whether the c-pillar will always be red or if other color options will be available for the two-tone look. the interior shots show a simple design and a screen stretching across the dashboard.
the current niro is offered with three powertrains: a standard hybrid mating a 1.6-liter four-cylinder to an electric motor, a plug-in hybrid with a larger battery pack good for 26 miles of electric driving, and a fully electric model. the latter uses a single 201-hp electric motor and has a range of 239 miles thanks to its 64.0-kwh battery. kia hasn't said if the new niro will continue to offer a variety of powertrains or if it will switch to become purely electric. the habaniro concept was a full ev, but given that the niro is not adopting the "evx" nomenclature used by the rest of kia's electric lineup—such as the new ev6—we imagine it will continue to come as a hybrid. look for more information on the next niro later this week.