The 2017 Kia Niro hybrid revealed at this year’s Chicago auto show will launch in the United States with what’s bound to be an expensive advertising campaign, starting as it does with the February 5, 2017,  telecast of the 51st NFL Super Bowl in Houston. Hardly the most original choice by Kia?s marketing department, especially since the company claims that the car is already generating its own buzz as customers make inquiries at dealerships months ahead of the Niro?s arrival here. It will have been on sale in Europe for months before the U.S.-market kickoff.
Although the Niro sits on the same hybrid platform as the Hyundai Ioniq, Kia has distinguished its version from its conventional sibling by making it a crossover. Indeed, by our reckoning, the Niro will be the first crossover offered only in electrified form, without a conventional drivetrain in the range. We expect the Niro to spawn a pure EV variant and probably also to follow the Ioniq’s lead with a plug-in PHEV model. ?It does not look like a Prius because Prius customers are very loyal,? Thomas Oh, Kia?s chief operating officer, told us in Korea recently. ?Many customers want small SUVs, including those looking for eco-friendly cars.?

The Niro and the Ioniq share a 103-hp Atkinson-cycle 1.6-liter turbocharged engine and a lightweight 1.56-kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack. A 43-horsepower electric motor is integrated with the transmission to yield a total combined output of 146 horsepower an...