Kia Rio Hybrid

SEOUL, S. Korea — Kia Motors has announced that it will unveil the Rio Hybrid concept at the upcoming Geneva auto show.

The brand's first-ever gas-electric hybrid, developed in conjunction with Korean parent company Hyundai, employs a 90-horsepower 1.4-liter four-cylinder gas engine mated to a compact 12-kilowatt electric motor.

Kia said it is working with the Korean Ministry of the Environment on an ambitious R&D exercise that will see nearly 4,000 Rio Hybrids on local roads as part of the company's "real world" test program.

Kia previously had hinted that it planned to begin selling the Rio Hybrid in North America in 2007, but those plans have been stalled until 2008-'09, according to media reports from Korea.

© Source: article on insideline
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