Kia Motors unveiled four new models at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month. The new Kia Stinger fastback sports sedan makes its European premiere, alongside the new Kia Picanto city car. Advanced powertrain technology features in two other new Kia models on show for the first time – the Niro plug-in hybrid crossover and Optima sportswagon plug-in hybrid.
Michael Cole, chief operating officer of Kia Motors Europe, told the assembled press: “The variety of new Kia vehicles on display here in Geneva underlines the ambition and increasingly broad appeal of the company and its cars.
“The Stinger is the most powerful car that Kia has ever produced, while the new Picanto – one of the company’s best-selling models worldwide – makes a statement with a bold, modern design, new technologies, and best-in-class versatility. New plug-in hybrid versions of the Niro and Optima sportswagon will help Kia achieve its 2020 target to improve fuel economy by 25 per cent over 2014 levels.”
All four of the models unveiled by Kia in Geneva will be sold with the company’s unique seven-year, 150,000km warranty as standard. Kia’s warranty covers the lithium-ion polymer battery packs in the two new plug-in hybrid models.
European specification
The European specification of the new Kia Stinger is revealed in Geneva following the car’s global premiere at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Kia’s powerful new fastback sports sedan channels the spirit of historic grand tourers – powerful, elegant vehicles capable of moving their owners in style, at speed. At every stage of development, the Stinger has been designed and engineered to be the perfect gran turismo. The car features a head-turning aesthetic, ample room to accommodate five occupants and their luggage, a stable, unruffled ride, and nimble handling with engaging, rear-biased power delivery.
In Europe, the Stinger will be available with a choice of three engines: a 2.0-litre turbo gasoline engine (255ps power output, and 353Nm maximum torque ), a 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine (200ps, 440Nm ), and a 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6. The 3.3-litre engine produces 370ps with a maximum torque output of 510Nm, and accelerates from 0-to-100kph in 5.1 seconds – making it the fastest-accelerating and most powerful car Kia has ever produced.
The Kia Stinger will be available with a choice of rear-wheel and all-wheel drive, as well as a range of DRiVE WISE active safety systems, an electronically-adjustable suspension system (dynamic stability damping control ), and a five-mode drive mode select system.
The Stinger is the result of years of dedicated design and development work. Six years after Kia revealed its powerful statement of intent in the GT Concept, the Stinger will enter production and go on sale in Europe during the fourth quarter of 2017.
New Picanto
Kia says the new Kia Picanto city car majors on quality, technology and versatility
Created in collaboration by Kia’s design centres in Namyang, Korea and Frankfurt, Germany, the new Picanto boasts a youthful, energetic look, using its new dimensions and bold body lines for a more assertive stance. A performance-inspired GT-Line model is available for the first time.
Inside, the new model’s high-quality, high-tech cabin features a ‘floating’ seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system. New in-car technologies and connectivity features including Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and a wireless smartphone charger. The new model also offers buyers greater potential for customisation than ever before, with 11 exterior paint colours and a range of interior colour packs for buyers to choose from.
The new Picanto has a larger cabin than many of its rivals, and the largest boot capacity of any A-segment car (255 litres ). New measures to address noise, vibration and harshness will make it one of the most refined in its class. Safety is also improved, with a strong new bodyshell featuring twice the proportion of advanced high strength steel compared to the outgoing model. The Picanto is the first car in its class to offer autonomous emergency braking.
From launch next month, the new Picanto will be available with 1.0 and 1.25-litre gasoline engines, with CO2 emissions from just 89g/km. In Q4 2017, Kia will also offer the new model with the company’s new 1.0-litre turbocharged gasoline direct injection (T-GDI ) power unit, producing 100 PS.
Completing a busy Geneva Motor Show for Kia, the Niro plug-in hybrid and Optima sportswagon plug-in hybrid were also unveiled. The Niro plug-in hybrid will go on sale across Europe during Q3 2017, pairing an economical 1.6-litre GDI (gasoline direct injection ) engine with an 8.9 kWh high-capacity lithium-polymer battery pack.
Tourer versatility and high efficiency for new Optima sportswagon plug-in hybrid alongside the Niro, the new Optima sportswagon plug-in hybrid is the second car unveiled in Geneva with an advanced hybrid powertrain. It is due to go on- sale across Europe from Q3, 2017. The new derivative combines the tourer versatility of the conventional Optima sportswagon with the high-efficiency powertrain found in the Optima plug-in hybrid sedan, introduced in the third quarter of 2016.
