The highly anticipated Kia Niro EV just made a rather surprising debut at the 5th International Electric Vehicle Expo in South Korea.

It was shown alongside the Niro Plug-In Hybrid and Soul EV.

In addition to the reveal of the production version of the pure electric crossover, Kia released some vital new information on this soon-to-be available electric CUV.

Like the Hyundai Kona EV, the electric Niro will be offered with two different battery capacities (only the bigger battery is expected to be offered in the U.S. though):

39.2 kWh

64 kWh

Range for the big battery is claimed to be 236 miles, while the smaller battery pack offers up some 149 miles per charge. The similar Hyundai Kona goes further per charge, but it's slightly smaller.

Kia Motors senior vice-president Ki-Sang Lee, stated:

Kia Motors' position in the market will further solidify. Kia doesn’t believe that there is any ‘silver bullet’ that can satisfy the demand for low-emission technology within the car industry, so we foresee a wide range of eco-friendly powertrains co-existing for an extended period of time.”

Kia says the Niro EV comes standard with 17-inch wheels, frontal collision avoidance assistance, lane departure assistance, smart cruise control, and rear collision warning.

We expect to have more details on the European and U.S. launch schedules of the Kia Niro EV in the near future.

Kia claims to have received 5,000 orders for the Niro EV in Korea, where it will be sold first later this year.

Gallery: Kia Niro EV Crossover Makes World Debut - Range Of Up To 236 Miles

5 Photos

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