Kia teases new electric concept ahead of Geneva Motor Show
It looks a fair bit different than the existing Soul and Niro EVs.
Kia wants to show what the future of its electrified car range looks like with a new concept that will debut at the Geneva Motor Show. Though there are no details on the car so far, aside from this lone teaser image released Thursday, it sounds like the concept will have a more exciting design than Kia's current electric cars .
The most obvious design element in this teaser is that Kia's traditional "tiger nose" grille shape has been repurposed and used as the shape for a full-width lighting element. The car also appears to have cameras instead of side-view mirrors, a common element on modern concepts.
"Automotive design is about capturing the heart and making it beat that bit faster for that bit longer -- and we believe that there's absolutely no reason why that should change simply because the car is electric," Gregory Guillaume, vice president of design for Kia Motors Europe, said in a statement. The car was styled at Kia's European design center in Frankfurt.
At the same time, Kia says the electric concept will provide ample range and performance to sate customers. In other words, it's likely to be a more premium electric model. It will "signpost our holistic and emotional approach to electrification," Guillaume said.
That would be a big change from Kia's current EV offerings, which are reasonably practical hatchbacks . In the US, the brand offers the 2019 Kia Niro EV, which has a 239-mile driving range, and will soon launch the new Soul EV, which boasts an even more impressive 243-mile range. Both cars use a 64-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack, with an electric drive motor rated for 201 horsepower and 291 pound-feet of torque.
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