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The Kia Niro is already on sale in standard hybrid and plug-in hybrid forms (check out our reviews here and here), but it will take the stage as a full EV at CES 2018. Kia will preview a Niro EV concept at the show next week, and it’s showing us these teaser photos in the meantime.

We can see a new face/lighting scheme is being applied to the concept; this consists of some fancy-looking LEDs, plus a light-up badge and grille. The grille appears to showcase Kia’s “motion graphic” lighting technology (basically lights that change pattern and intensity) it will show at CES.

For now, Kia isn’t saying anything about potential specs, but we can make some good guesses since the Niro is based on the Hyundai Ioniq, which currently offers a pure EV option. The Ioniq has 124 miles of range while making 118 hp and 215 lb-ft of torque from its electric motor. At this point, those stats mean it’s a rung below something like the 238-mile-range Chevy Bolt. Everything is relative to price, however, and the Ioniq does undercut the Bolt there by about $6,000.

It’s possible Kia might use a larger battery in the Niro EV, but it has a long ways to go if it wants to compete on range with the Bolt and Tesla Model 3. We’ll have more next week from the CES show floor, but in the meantime, go check out our first drive of the 2018 Niro Plug-in Hybrid.

Zac Palmer

Zac Palmer – Editorial Intern Zac Palmer has probably spent more time in a car than any other 21-year old in the country. He likes anything that can go around a corner, and is surely talking about a car wherever he might be.
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