Not too long ago, Kia was little more than an upstart automaker in most people’s eyes. Today, however, things are different. Kia builds serious cars, these days, and their positioning themselves as a sub-Audi enthusiast brand has been absolutely spot-on. The next move for Kia, though, may take some people by surprise- especially Toyota, because the Koreans are gunning for the Prius.
That’s the news out of the UK, at least, where AutoCar claims that a Kia insider revealed a new model, known internally as the DE, is based on a standalone platform featuring a new transmission mated to a new, 1.6 liter gasoline engine and electric motor.
AutoCar’s sources say that the new car, which will probably be sold in North America, has two goals. The first is to help Kia meet the 95g/km fleet CO2 regulations to come into force in Europe in 2020, while the second is eat into the sales of the Toyota Prius and “steal” some of Toyota’s perceived technical leadership.
Based on absolutely noting at all, I’ve decided that the upcoming Kia hybrid will look like the Kia KND-7 concept revealed at the 2013 Seoul Motor Show. Probably. You can check out that compact 4 door (which, you guessed it, houses a 1.6 liter gas-powered engine mated to an all-new, 6 speed transmission) below.
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