Tag Archives: South Korea

2022 Niro HEV & PHEV Launched in South Korea

Today Kia launched in South Korea ‘The 2022 Niro’, a model year change of the Niro Hybrid/Plug-in Hybrid, who received the new logo and a new trim structure. The updated HEV/PHEV variants follows the updated Niro EV launched a month ago.

Since its launch in 2016, Kia’s representative compact SUV, the Niro, has been steadily loved by customers for its excellent marketability and economy.

Kia applied the new Kia emblem to the 2022 Niro and applied Trendy-Prestige-Noblesse-Signature, Kia’s standardized trim naming system, to reduce customer confusion and give a sense of unity. The Plug-in hybrid Niro will be available only in the Signature trim).

So for the 2022MY, Kia decided to add its new brand logo for the crossover hybrid, as well as improve the standard equipment and added new tech. Highlights include a new updated 10.25-inch touchscreen satellite navigation system with telematics system featuring UVO Connect Services, LED headlights with bi-function projection, ambient lighting and a battery heating system.

Inside there’s black leather upholstery, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, an electronic parking brake with autohold, automatic air conditioning, adaptive Smart Cruise Control with Stop and Go, a smart entry system with engine start and stop button, wireless mobile phone charging, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity, an eight-speaker JBL premium sound system and DAB radio.

A full suite of safety equipment is included in the 2022 Niro, too, with Lane Follow Assist (LFA), Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS), Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) and Hill-start Assist Control (HAC) fitted as standard, alongside seven airbags, including one for the driver’s knees.

A Kia Korea official said, “The 2022 Niro will provide customers with greater satisfaction with improved product quality by standardizing customer preference specifications.” Step by step, through new model years and new generations, Kia’s full line-up is adding the new logo and brand image. Which one will be next?

Source: Kia

2021 Hyundai Santa Cruz Rendering

Today we want to share with you this rendering images of the long awaited Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup, made by our colleagues at CarExpert. These renderings (front & rear) are based on the latest spy pictures taken in the U.S, with less camouflage than ever, so what do you think?

What we know so far?

The Santa Cruz pickup codename is NX4 (the same as Tucson) with the addition of the letters OB, so “NX4 OB”. It has a smaller body than the traditional pickup truck. It is a four-door model with a five-seater structure, and features excellent ride comfort and space utilization compared to a frame body-based pickup truck. Hyundai’s plan is to open up a new market called an urban pickup truck.

As an urban pickup truck, it will be released as a compact, leisurely pickup truck for drivers who mainly carry mountain bikes, kayaks, and camping equipment rather than for gravel, concrete block transportation, and boat towing. 

With a unibody construction and numerous unknown specifications, we don’t know how much the 2021 Santa Cruz will be able to tow or how much payload it will be able to carry in its cargo bed. Still, we expect it will be able to pull more than the Santa Fe and closely align with the Ridgeline, which maxes out at 5000 pounds.

Also Hyundai Motor and its affiliates are in the process of updating the lines and supply lines of the Alabama plant, as the company has decided to produce Hyundai’s next generation Tucson (codenamed NX4) earlier 2020, while pick-up derivative launch for late 2020.

Information indicates that the Pickup will have a 2.5-liter engine, with a hybrid option and will be a four-door ‘lifestyle’ pickup with a monocoque chassis. Its target market will be millennials, which Hyundai describes as ‘a new generation of buyers’ in its press release.

As for what the pickup will look like, that remains to be seen, and despite Hyundai used the photos of the concept Santa Cruz for its production announcement, the final production version would be far from the concept and will share family look with the 4th generation Tucson.

What do you expect about this pick-up?