Concept-inspired looks, innovative Green tech … and a new use for old wall coverings.

 NOTHING sells a new Green-minded car like a decent sustainability story – and Kia has a doozy when it comes to the new-generation Nio, revealed in South Korea today.

Not for the Hyundai Group’s trendsetter marque the usual ‘plastics fabricated from old plastic drink bottles and fishing nets’ line.

No, they’ve become far more creative in respect to the recycling angle for the second-generation model, potentially set to issue in New Zealand next year, again in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and full electric (e-Niro) versions.

Check out the headlining. Care to guess it’s sourcing? Don’t worry, you probably never will … it’s recycled wallpaper.

The seats? They’re created from bio-based polyurethane with Tencel fibres from eucalyptus leaves. 

The paint on the door panels is water-based and free of substances such as benzene and toluene. 

And that’s not the most impressive ingredient. With this car, in its home market at least, there’s a new ‘Greenzone Drive Mode’ technology that, by using geofencing, automatically switches the hybrid version to fully electric mode in ‘green zones’ such as urban residential areas, or outside schools and hospitals. The driver can also register their own green zones in the car’s navigation system. 

 Those are the key technical details Kia has so far offered in pulling the covers off the Niro and e-Niro at a mobility show in the home market’s capital, Seoul.

The design is a complete restart, drawing inspiration from the Habaniro concept of 2019, with a fresh take on the make’s signature 'tiger nose' grille. Also figuring is a front LED lighting signature, with Kia claiming the daytime running lights mimic a heartbeat. The hybrids also achieve a faux skid plate. 

Another design feature is a two-tone effect on the car’s C-pillars, which also house the vertically stacked tail-lights - visually separating them from the tailgate.

The main visual difference between the hybrid Niro and the e-Niro is a charge port integrated between the upper and lower front grilles of the latter. 

The Niro’s cabin has also been thoroughly updated. Highlights include a two-spoke steering wheel and an electronic rotary gear selector. The dash is dominated by a large, single-piece display combining digital instruments and a widescreen infotainment screen, with separate touch-sensitive climate controls underneath. The headrests incorporate coat hangers.

 Kia has yet to release powertrain details, but overseas’ reports say it won’t stray far from the current car, which offers a mixture of a 1.6-litre petrol engine and electric motor in hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants, both developing 104kW/265Nm, and 150kW/395Nm electric motor and 64kWh lithium-ion battery in the outright electric.

Kia New Zealand has yet to offer comment.