Kia Niro PHEV will be dropped in Australia

The next generation Kia Nero Just a few months away from an Australian launch, but the family seems to be losing one member

According to the local preview page of Kia Australia’s all-new Nero, the company says the new generation crossover will be available in two, distinct identities – a hybrid and a fully electric one. Significantly, PHEV has been omitted in this description.

Care Expert Kear has reached out to the local department, but the company declined to comment further. Most likely, we will find out the full details of Nero’s Australian media launch in due course.

It is possible that Kia is choosing to focus on Nero Hybrid (HIV) and Nero EV to better suit Australian tastes. For reference, Nero’s 2021 annual sales figures for 742 units were 465 Nero hybrids, 217 Nero EVs and only 60 Nero plug-in hybrids.

Further, PHEV sales flanders continue here, partly due to European-style incentives and lack of CO2 targets. As of the end of April, Australian EVs sold 7618 cars, while hybrids sold 26,982, with PHEVs numbering just 1675 units.

Power comes from the new Nero plug-in hybrid 1.6-liter petrol engine Grouped with an electric motor and 11.1kWh Lithium-ion battery, quotes its system output 134kW / 265Nm.

By comparison, the Nero Hybrid features the same 1.6-liter petrol engine but with a less powerful electric motor and smaller 1.32kWh battery pack, producing a combined output of 103kW / 265Nm.

Both the Nero Hybrid and the Nero Plug-in Hybrid drive the front wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Fuel consumption figures for both models have not yet been confirmed, although Kia will undoubtedly want to improve the outgoing generation’s 58km (NEDC) EV range demand for PHEV.

In addition to the overhaul design inside and out, the new Nero will bring more technology and more eco-friendly materials than its predecessor, an available dual 10.25-inch instrument and infotainment display unit is expected as well as Kier’s latest and greatest support suite. Read more Here.

The new Nero is also expected to launch Kia-connected services in the Australian market, including a net-based remote service and an array of functions accessible via a smartphone app. Read more on that Here.

With PHEV excluded in Australia, the new Nero range will be longer than the current line-up.

If you go to the previous generation range, the new Nero Hybrid will play in the $ 40,000- $ 45,000 bracket while the Nero EV could be between $ 55,000 and $ 65,000 depending on which variant is brought. Remember, Kia didn’t bring 39.2kWh short range Nero EV like Hyundai did for Kona Electric.

The Nero PHV will fill that void, but if Kia tries to expand its offer to better compete with the Toyota C-HR Hybrid and the RAV4 Hybrid, the higher-grade versions of the Nero Hybrid could fill that gap.

More details on the progress of the new Nero launch will come later this year, currently in the third quarter of 2022. Stay tuned Care Expert For all the latest.

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