kia niro is one of the best-selling eco-friendly cars in the world and offers a full range of
electrified versions including hybrid plug-in hybrid and pure battery electric in europe
nero ranks as the top seller in just about every country in particular the eevee version
also known as e nero leads in its category having sold more than 145 000 units globally
since its introduction in 2018 and still remains to be a strong seller even despite the fact that
the all-new next-generation model is already launched while most of the world will be waiting a
long time for the all-new model to arrive there is a piece of good news from korea that would pique
the interest of many people who are still looking for an eevee that offers great value with quality
and reliability to boot in this episode we will explore kia's plan to make use of the excellent
first generation nero to open up a whole new possibility not only in the commercial sectors
but for personal use as well so before we go on we'd highly appreciate your support by subscribing
and turning on the notification bell if you haven't already and please don't forget to like
comment and vote on the question that's presented at the end of the video in the recent investor
day presentation the self-proclaimed sustainable mobility solutions provider
kia expressed its eager intention of entering into the pbv or purpose-built vehicles business
kia says that a dedicated lineup of pbvs will be introduced in 2025 built on the
ev platform known as es that's specifically developed for commercial vehicle applications
and the first dedicated model is to be a mid-size vehicle with inherent scalability
and will help to achieve its target of becoming a market leader in the pbv segment by 2030.
until then kia is launching the new nero plus to serve as its first foray into the pbv segment
developed as a cheap solution to fulfill the demand for affordable electric taxis
and car hailing service cars starting with the domestic korean market as a huge incentive exists
at each level of the municipal and provincial government to proliferate the usage of evs as
public transportation the neuroplus is essentially a stretched version of the original nero with some
modifications especially the interior and the connectivity features to accommodate
its intended use however the availability of the new nero plus is not limited to the taxi
operators or car hailing service providers but also to the general public which would make it
a great option in this day and age where good evs are hard to come by in fact it may even be
a better buy than the all-new kia niro ev which is about to be released and here are the reasons why
the first is its price advantage the all-new nero's official price has not been released
however judging from the price increase in korea which saw an increase of up to 10 versus the
outgoing model it's certain that the all-new model will see a similar increase in the international
markets as well this means the current nero ev that has a starting price of 40 000 could see an
increase of up to a whopping 4 000 when the 2023 euro arrives in the summer of this year however
it's reported that the nero plus will be sold at the price very similar to the current nero which
would continue to represent one of the best values in the market as the all-new nero would struggle
to find clear price delineation from the ev6 that's bigger and has better charging technology
but with a starting price of only forty thousand nine hundred dollars albeit with smaller battery
with a bit shorter range this brings to the second reason why nero plus may be a better choice while
going up in the price the all-new neuro still utilizes the same technology as the outgoing model
for example the second generation nero ev still uses practically the same battery as the previous
model with 64.8 kilowatt hours capacity an improvement of only 0.8 kilowatt hours that now
offers 253 miles or 407 kilometers in the range from the previous 239 miles or 385 kilometers
however this extended range comes at the cost of the power output of the front-wheel driving
electric motor as the new torque figure is now reduced to 188 pound-feet from the
previous version's beefy 291 pound-feet the horsepower does remain at 201 horsepower to
offer zero to 60 miles per hour at 7.5 seconds which is slower than the current nero that can
do the same run in 6.2 seconds for comparison the base ev6 rear wheel drive standard range
with a 58 kilowatt hours battery offers 168 horsepower with 258 pound-feet of torque
achieving zero to 60 miles per hour in about eight seconds and 232 miles or 373 kilometers in range
however the ev6 rides on the egmp dedicated ev platform that features the state-of-the-art 800
volt charging system that offers a blazingly fast charge time of just 18 minutes 10 to 80
compared to the 400 volt derivative nero ev with a new claim speed of 45 minutes which is
a tad faster than the outgoing nero's 54 minutes but the difference felt in day-to-day use may be
negligible what is affect the day-to-day usability of evs might be the space that they offer which is
the third reason to choose the nero plus over the all-new nero the upcoming nero did increase
in size from the outgoing model by growing in all directions the newest nero now measures 4420
millimeters or 174.0 inches long 1825 millimeters or 71.6 inches wide and 545 millimeters or 60.8
inches tall which is 65 millimeters or 2.6 inches longer and 20 millimeters or 0.8 inches wider than
before the wheelbase also grows by 20 millimeters and now measures 720 millimeters or 107.1 inches
affording more interior space however not to be outdone the nero plus is also stretched heightened
and modified to offer more space and versatility than the normal first generation nero and even the
all-new nero the vehicle has been stretched by 10 millimeters or 0.4 inches and the wheelbase
is the same but the readjustment in the rear seat placement has increased the rear leg room to 942
millimeters or 37 inches which is an increase of 28 millimeters or 1.1 inches versus the normal
model compared to only 20 millimeters or 0.8 inches increase obtained by the all-new neuro
the most obvious change to the nero plus is the taller roof and its height has increased by 80
millimeters or 3.1 inches for added headroom of 50 millimeters or full two inches for front
passengers and 64 millimeters or 2.5 inches for rear passengers furthermore to maximize the
interior space beyond the gains obtained by making the body bigger the nero plus has thinner seats as
well as a slimmer interior door panel inside the rest of the interior is largely unchanged
but to serve its purpose as a taxi or hailing car there are grab handles mounted on the b pillars
to facilitate access while door panel reflectors have been installed for added passenger safety
also the front passenger seat has been modified to include the electric reclining and slide feature
that can be controlled by the driver to allow maximum space for the rear passenger furthermore
the headrest has been lowered by 43 millimeters or 1.7 inches to provide better forward visibility
to the rear passengers the biggest highlight of the interior is the new infotainment system
although it does not offer the all-new nero's beautiful dual 10.25 inch panoramic lcds
the nero plus also offers a 10.25 inch screen that's known as the all-in-one display
that integrates a digital tachograph navigation as well as a taxometer a required tool of the trade
if you opt for the taxi version there is also the owner operator version that will feature
the camping option to take advantage of the larger interior space finally for the styling aside from
the distinguishing taller roof design the exterior modification includes the newly designed daytime
running light revised ev grille and skid plate it's obviously not going to be as provocative
as the show car based new nero's exterior but the taller roof now offers that rugged suv look
that stands out and would be a plus and the fourth reason to purchase the nero plus if you're looking
for a more conservative looking car so in summary if you are looking for an ev that's affordable
efficient and reliable proven by its long-standing as one of the best sellers as well as being ranked
number one in jd power ev ownership study among mass-market electric cars two years in a row the
nero plus would present a strong argument and the fifth reason to purchase it over the all-new car
the sixth and the final reason and perhaps the most important reason
maybe it's availability unlike the all-new nero which is expected to be affected by the delivery
delay that most of the late models such as the ev6 and the sportage are suffering from
with the expected weighting of up to one year the nero plus which is built on the same assembly line
as the readily available current nero ev would have little supply issues relatively speaking
after the pre-order and the commencement of the production next month in korea the nero
plus is expected to be available globally as well including in europe north america and australia
as versatile as the new nero plus with its ability to be used in multiple ways from being a business
car a daily driver as well as a recreational vehicle with the innovative camping option
it may become another best seller for kia as for the end of the video question
even if you have no intention of becoming an uber driver would you still consider purchasing
the new nero plus for its versatility proven ev capability and affordability please vote
and share your views by clicking on the link in the comment section below or in the description
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