Kia Unveils Updated Niro Hybrid With New Features, Ends Niro EV Production

Kia has introduced a refreshed version of its second-generation Niro small SUV, adding hybrid-focused features as it targets buyers who prioritize practicality. The automaker said it has improved safety and convenience compared with the current second-generation model.
 
Kia unveiled the vehicle for the first time at a media day on March 9 at Layer Studio 11 in Seoul’s Mapo district.
 
The New Niro is a facelift based on the second-generation Niro launched in January 2022. Kia said it upgraded product competitiveness and design, marking a new model after four years. This was the first public showing of the vehicle.
 
Kia highlighted new hybrid-specific functions, including a smart regenerative braking system, Stay Mode and a hybrid hierarchical predictive control system. The smart regenerative braking system automatically adjusts regenerative braking levels by considering navigation road information and driving conditions.
 
Stay Mode allows occupants to use in-car convenience features for a set period while stopped using only high-voltage battery power, without idling the engine. The hybrid hierarchical predictive control system forecasts and analyzes the route and road conditions to the destination and optimizes battery charge control to help improve real-world fuel economy.
 
With the added features, prices rise by up to 3 million won compared with the current second-generation Niro. After eco-friendly vehicle tax benefits, prices are 28.85 million won for the Trendy trim, 31.95 million won for Prestige and 34.64 million won for Signature. The Trendy trim of the second-generation Niro was 26.6 million won, meaning the entry price increases by 2.25 million won.
 
Kia also addressed the discontinuation of the Niro electric vehicle. Baek Gyeong-eun, a researcher on the MSV Project 5 team, said, “We will proceed by discontinuing the Niro EV and selling only the remaining inventory,” adding, “Kia is very focused on electrification, and with many electrified vehicles such as the EV3 waiting, we discontinued it to focus on those vehicles.”
 
First launched in 2016, the Niro lineup has included EV, hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variants through the first generation and into the second generation introduced in 2022. Kia said it will not produce additional EV units and plans to emphasize the hybrid model instead. It will strengthen EV competitiveness with models using its dedicated electric platform, E-GMP. Current E-GMP-based models include the EV3, EV4, EV5, EV6 and EV9.
 
Jeong Won-jeong, Kia’s vice president and head of its domestic business division, said, “The New Niro will be an attractive choice for customers who value practicality, based on the best fuel economy among domestic hybrid SUVs at 20.2 kilometers per liter and a spacious interior.”