Kia Will Debut a New Electric Concept Car at CES 2018 Next Week

Kia has teased a new electric concept car based on its Niro crossover that will debut at CES 2018 next week.

Kia says the EV concept car combines its “design strengths” with a highly efficient battery-electric powertrain. It represents the next step in the Korean brand’s electric vehicle efforts, and is a signal of where the Kia brand will be headed in coming years.

The concept will also feature a “human-machine interface” or HMI from Kia that has never been seen before. It’s not clear what it will entail, but we’re expecting some sort of large interior touchscreen that allows you to change the car’s various settings and drive modes. Kia also says it will have a new “motion graphic lighting system” that it says could potentially come to market sometime in the future.

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In addition to the concept vehicle, Kia will also detail its autonomous vehicle strategy at CES. This will come in the way of an exhibit called “Beyond Autonomous Driving” that will display Kia’s existing autonomous vehicle technology alongside future self-driving technologies that it hopes to one day bring to market. The exhibit will also feature three cockpit displays, showing different ways the automaker could incorporate new technologies into an autonomous vehicle’s cabin.

“Virtual reality, self-driving cars, and full vehicle connectivity were all once considered technologies of the distant future. As they rapidly become a reality, Kia is exploring how to adapt these new technologies for its customers. At CES we will share our strategy and vision for future mobility, and exhibit a range of advanced technologies that our customers can look forward to,” said Kia R&D boss Dr. Woong-cheol Yang.

The concept vehicle will debut on January 8th, 2018.

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