if you recall we have reported previously that the next generation kia niro which will replace
the current model shortly would no longer offer the popular eevee variant we cited spanish portal
motor.es and various korean media with regards to this unfortunate speculation and as more spy
photos are being taken all over the globe of the impending second generation compact crossover
there is now more evidence that might be pointing to the demise of the overachieving compact kia
niro ev kia niro evie is the model that put kia on the map as one of the go-to brands when it came to
purchasing an electric vehicle is concerned as it was the nero ev or e-nero as it's known in europe
that has given kia the honor of earning the highest customer satisfaction ranking for a
mass market electric vehicle according to jd power the affordable ev that achieves 239 miles or 385
kilometer epa rated range and zero to 60 miles per hour in around six seconds stole the hearts
of many new eva buyers and firmly established itself as the new benchmark in its class
in fact the compact ev from kia was often praised as one of the few evs that actually exceeds the
published range as it wasn't unusual for the owners to report real-life ranges up 300 miles
this is due to nero evie's large for its size 64 kilowatt hour high density lithium-ion
polymer battery pack combined with its highly efficient motor that produces 201 horsepower
and stout 291 pounds foot of torque to put it in perspective the 64 kilowatt hour battery pack is
actually larger than the standard range kia ev6 that's powered by a 58 kilowatt hour battery
also nero ev actually packs more power than the entry-level single motor ev6 model that only comes
with 168 horsepower and 258 pounds foot of torque and outpace the more expensive ev6's acceleration
time of 8.5 seconds by nearly 1.5 seconds nero ev achieves these monumental accolades by weighing in
265 pounds or 120 kilograms less at 2935 pounds or 1785 kilograms compared to ev6's hefty 4155
pounds or 1885 kilograms while providing seven cubic feet or 500 liter more of cargo space at
53 cubic feet or 1800 liters versus 46 cubic feet or 1 300 liters for ev6 and at the end of the day
kia niro ev will actually be 5 000 to 6 000 cheaper at less than 40 000 when compared to the
ev6's estimated starting price of 45 000 so you wonder why anyone in the right mine would choose
the ev6 over the electrified nero well there are lots apparently in the native korean market
the electrified versions of nero and the sister car hyundai kona sales have plummeted by nearly 50
since the introduction of the new kia ev6 and the platform sharing hyundai ioniq 5 dedicated
electric crossovers according to a prominent korean news media mk's article dated may 2nd 2021
mind you though the overseas sales of such derivative electric vehicles such as nero eevee
kona ev and soul ev are still going strong in europe and north america as they are gaining more
popularity however the same newspaper predicted that as more dedicated evs are introduced
people's propensity to lean towards the newer technology products will increase
and will signal the end of the otherwise very popular older tech electric cars
understanding this inevitability it appears that kia has wisely chosen to discontinue the electric
version and focused on creating a new image and identity for the next generation hybrid only nero
and that identity is a fun and funky crossover car is conceptualized in the habanero concept habanero
was revealed at the 2019 new york international auto show to showcase kia's direction for the
suv of the future as a youthful brand to address perhaps nero's biggest shortcoming which is its
rather plain vanilla appearance habanero featured a stunning design with butterfly doors a red-hot
interior and technology of the future furthermore with its tough-looking front end and skid plate
habanero is at home both on and off road and most of the design cues as well as technology
are expected to find their way to the new nero save for the crazy butterfly doors of course these
include a head-up display with augmented reality navigation which has already found a home in the
new kia ev6 as well as ionic 5. the new nero will also feature the eawd technology which combines
the engine in the front with an electric motor in the rear to deliver a sophisticated all-wheel
drive experience thanks to das or disconnector actuator system that distributes power evenly and
seamlessly between the front and rear axles to deliver optimal efficiency and performance that
not only aids in the adverse road conditions and in incremental weather but improves traction for
performance-oriented driving on road also shared with ev6 will be the advanced level two drivers
assistance feature called hda2 or highway driving assist too that's claimed to be better than
tesla's autopilot and nearing level three autonomy which is virtually self-driving furthermore the
all-new nero will share much of the technology found in the upcoming fifth generation kia
sportage this is because the all-new nero will be based on the sportage which is in turn based on
the newly released fourth generation hyundai tucson therefore nero will share its bigger
platform sharing sportages standard features like automatic emergency braking active lane control
blind spot monitors a surround view camera system smart parking assist and automatic high beams
available safety features will include adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality and
blind spot breaking intervention in addition to the technical features the platform sharing kia
sportage and kia niro will also share most of the mechanicals these include a hybrid engine
with a turbocharged 1.6 liter inline four-cylinder engine with a 44.2 kilowatt electric motor and a
1.49 kilowatt hour battery pack for a total output of 230 horsepower and 258 pounds foot of torque
and a plug-in hybrid engine which uses the same 1.6 liter turbo engine but has a more powerful
66.9 kilowatt electric motor and a larger 13.8 kilowatt hour battery pack to produce a total of
261 horsepower and 258 pound-foot of torque that is capable achieving 35 miles or 56 kilometers
of pure electric range needing two hours to charge using the level two charger both hybrid
power plants are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission in the case of sportage however the
perennial best seller kia also receives the base 2.5 liter normally aspirated four-cylinder engine
good for 190 horsepower and 182 pound-foot of torque mated to eight-speed automatic transmission
also for europe there is to be a myriad of mild hybrid options on gasoline and diesel engines
furthermore unlike nero it's expected that the new sportage will offer an electric version as well
this might be a shocking move for kia to discontinue the popular nero eevee but as sportage
is a bigger and more versatile platform that caters to much broader demographics and it already
has hundreds of thousands of loyal fanbase that it has amassed and over nearly 30 years of history
that would stay within the familiar sportage realm and try on the electrified sportage before jumping
shipped to an entirely new dedicated electric vehicles such as the ev6 as a point of reference
the sales of kia niro did not exceed 100 000 units in four years since its introduction but
kia sportage sells over 80 000 units in just one year so it's not surprising that kia has chosen
sportage to be the torchbearer for the derivative electric crossover as the mass market sportage ev
would definitely give a higher chance of success over the more niche market nero although no
official information on the specification of the sportage ev is released we expect the next
generation pure electric power plant to exceed that of the current neuro evs and nearly matches
that of the egmp-based ev6's specifications this notion is confirmed by the hyundai group's latest
derivative electric genesis duo g80e and gv70e which will offer 800 volts architecture similar to
that of egmps although it doesn't charge as fast as the dedicated version that could charge to 80
in just 18 minutes it still manages impressive 22 minutes which is similar to the porsche take an
anti-itron gt's time of 22.5 minutes so chances are the electrified sportage will most likely
share the same 800 volts technology to offer similar blazing charging speed although it may
not offer electrified g80 and gv70s dual motor 384 horsepower and a huge 87.2 kilowatt hours battery
pack good for 310 miles or 500 kilometers range we anticipate that the electrified sportage would
offer similar performance as the long-range ev6 with a total output of about 230 to 250
horsepower good for 0-60 in just under 6 seconds the battery packs would grow in capacity to 70
kilowatt hours range and return a maximum range of about 250 miles or 400 kilometers officially
this figure may be a little short compared to that of the top echelon ev6 has to offer 316
miles or 510 kilometers but kia sportage expected to outclass ev6 in terms of the interior volume
the new sportage will have cargo space of nearly 80 cubic feet or 2 265 liters compared to ev6 is
46 cubic feet or 1 300 liters when the second row is folded this is due to sportage's traditional
upright suv body shape as opposed to ev6's sleek coupe-like profile despite the fact that ev6
boasts 114.2 inches or 2 900 millimeters of super long wheelbase versus sportage's 108.5 inches or 2
756 millimeters in fact even the new nero is expected to be bigger inside compared to ev6
although the new neuro will not be as big as sportage inside as the new neuro will also
feature a sleeker coupe-like roofline it should grow in size from its current 106.3 inches or 2
700 millimeters of wheelbase to the length similar to that of sportage we expect the cargo capacity
to grow to about 70 cubic feet or about 2000 liters which would be similar to the european
short wheelbase sportage that measures only 105.5 inches or 2 680 millimeters in wheelbase so for
those of you who are in north america nero would be the closest thing to a short wheelbase european
sportage and a perfect alternative to sportage if you are in the need of something smaller
with a more youthful and stylish design it's ideal for singles or younger families with a lesser need
for interior room and cargo space especially if you are not completely not sold on pure electric
but who are willing to give the hybrid a chance and want to do it in style stick with the familiar
sportage if you need a more traditional suv with lots of room for both passengers and cargo
also although we believe that the new sportage will turn out great when the actual production
model is unveiled those that find the avant-garde design of the sportage to be too eccentric may
find the new nero's designed to be more agreeable for more information on the upcoming nero and
sportage please check out our previous videos the anticipated unveiling is to be summer of 2021 for
the new sportage as kia has decided to release the existing version as a 2022 model the arrival
in north america is now expected to be delayed until early 2022 as a 2023 model the prices will
range from twenty five thousand dollars to about forty thousand dollars for the eevee variant
for nero it's a similar story originally expected to be released as a 2022 model after the unveiling
in 2021 the all-new euro will now be released in 2022 as a 2023 model at an estimated price
that's similar to the current model at 27 000 for hybrid and 32 000 for the plug-in hybrid
previously anticipated to be terminated as of 2021 kia is extending the life of the current
generation nero by another year this is to alleviate the current supply problem associated
with the brand new dedicated ev model such as ev6 due to the automotive semiconductor shortage
coupled with the production issues with the pandemic kia is hoping that the current nero ev
would fulfill the role as a stopgap measure until the supply of the dedicated electric vehicles
become stabilized fyi aside from the brand new kia logo the 2022 nero is pretty much the same
as the award-winning 2021 model that features the heat pump which reduces the effect of cold weather
would have on the range of an electric vehicle the same innovative technology that's also found
in the latest ev6 so it might not be a bad idea to stay with a highly capable current nero ev for
the next few years until the supply of the ev6 and ionic 5 become more stable and all the bugs ironed
out from the first year models finally as an end of video question what would be your choice for
the next couple of years still go for the gusto with ev6 or ionic 5 wait for the new sportage ev
to arrive next year try your luck with the new nero hybrid with more compact dimensions with
funky style or just stay with the tried and tested current nero ev which seems to offer everything
you need in an electric car please cast your vote by clicking the link in the comment section
thanks for watching auto vision your best source for the fastest korean car news and rumors
your support by commenting liking subscribing and clicking the bell will be greatly
appreciated
i've been fighting everything you say
i've been trying to go the other way but i can't seem to get you out of my head