Kia is updating its Niro for 2027 and we now know, via new images shared by the automaker, that the design is moving towards that of the brand’s new EVs.
While the Niro continues to be offered in gas-only, hybrid and all-electric configurations, that Kia is working explicitly to make its gas-engine SUV look like an EV is an interesting twist on the trend that has seen some carmakers, like Genesis and just recently Mercedes-Benz, commit to making their EVs look as much as possible like their “regular” ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles.
Design of the 2027 Kia Niro
The front end especially easily could fool you into assuming you’re staring down the barrel of an EV. It features the EV models’ wishbone-shaped headlights, for one thing, and the designers took steps to hide the air intakes the ICE model needs to cool its engine and other parts, via a decidedly EV-like body-coloured band stretching between the headlights.
The back end is similarly modified, with an updated hatch. Although, the Y shaped lighting here isn’t taken from Kia’s EVs, but rather from the Sportage gas-engine model.
Inside
Kia is giving the interior a makeover as well. The dash has been reworked up top and now welcomes the twin conjoined 12.3-inch screen displays found in the EV models. The steering wheel is two -spoke and flat-topped and -bottomed.
Powertrain(s) of the 2027 Kia Niro
These are just a couple of images and there’s a lot they don’t tell about the reworked Niro coming for 2027. Namely, will there once again be three different powertrains – gas-only, hybrid and all-electric – to choose from? We'll learn more in the coming weeks and months.
