Kia unveiled at New York Autoshow its vision of the future of electric vehicles. The HabaNiro concept is a fully-electric, all-wheel drive, four-seat concept car with level-five autonomous mode, butterfly wing doors and advanced tech. “We wanted this concept to be comfortable navigating city streets, carving turns on a coastal road and off-roading with confidence to remote wilderness adventures,” said Tom Kearns, vice president of design for Kia Design Center America of Irvine, California. “We imagined a car for everyone and nearly everything. Then, when we saw the finished product, we were blown away by the imagination of the HabaNiro’s creators and its laboratory of technology and we want it in our driveways.”
With its rugged 20-inch wheels, short overhangs and big haunches, the HabaNiro exudes coiled muscularity and capability, whether you’re on a grocery run, en route to a meeting or in search of a remote fishing hole. The HabaNiro design is defined by the energetic interplay between the protective metallic grey cladding that encompasses the front wheels and extends onto the body sides and the bright “Lava Red” aero panel that defines the C-pillar and extends up and over the roof. The HabaNiro grille resembles a shark’s snout, complete with a slit-like gap full of gloss black aluminum “teeth” similar to the cooling blades found on high-end electronic equipment.
The EV chassis architecture allowed the wheels to be pushed to the corners, giving the HabaNiro its wide and confident stance. The scissor-like opening of the HabaNiro’s four butterfly-wing doors hints at its future-forward interior design. The Lava Red interior suggests passion and vibrancy. Modern and airy, the interior is accented by the bouclé fabric-trimmed front seats that appear to float within the spacious cabin. Contributing to the interior’s clean and modern appearance is the absence of rectangular screens and traditional control knobs and buttons. Instead features a full-width front windshield Heads-Up Display system controlled by a concave acrylic instrument panel that is a large interactive touchpad display with Sensory Light Feedback. Technical Option Sharing System allows users to swipe and move vehicle options across the HUD screen as though moving chess pieces.
