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Making its world premiere at the Seoul
Motor Show today (Thursday), the Kia Naimo electric concept car combines
Korean heritage with innovative modern features.
Taking its name from the Korean word
“Ne-mo”, (pronounced ‘Neh-mo’, meaning ‘square shape’), the Naimo
electric crossover utility vehicle (CUV) was conceived by Kia’s
international design team in Seoul, and is characterised principally by
its simple lines and solid, muscular stance. |
Making its world premiere at the Seoul
Motor Show today (Thursday), the Kia Naimo electric concept car combines
Korean heritage with innovative modern features.
Taking its name from the Korean word
“Ne-mo”, (pronounced ‘Neh-mo’, meaning ‘square shape’), the
Naimo electric crossover utility vehicle (CUV) was conceived by Kia’s
international design team in Seoul, and is characterised principally by
its simple lines and solid, muscular stance.
The simple overall design is
accentuated by a number of striking key details, such as the wrap-around
windscreen and asymmetric sunroof, and the front and rear dot-style LED
head- and positioning-lamps. This mix of simple and complex is a common
trait of many traditional Korean arts and crafts.
Kia’s design team also made use of
innovative technology to give the car a premium feel and to ensure the
car’s exterior remained uncluttered. For example, Naimo has no
traditional wiper blade on the windscreen – instead it employs a
high-intensity air jet at the base of the windscreen that performs an
‘air wiper’ function. Conventional door mirrors have also been replaced
with miniature cameras installed in the A-pillars.
Naimo’s interior was designed to evoke
a strong sense of tranquility and features hand-crafted materials
throughout. Korean oak is used to trim the interior door panels and the
entire interior floor, Korean “Han-ji” paper is used for the
head lining. Alongside these traditional elements sit modern features
such as a transparent organic light emitting diode display instrument
panel and full connectivity.
“Naimo is a perfect balance of
innovation, high-tech and Korean tradition. It was heavily inspired by
the purity and grace of traditional Korean arts and crafts, but combines
this with cutting edge technologies to deliver a truly premium
experience,” commented Kia Motors’ Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer.
The third electric vehicle design to be
unveiled by Kia Motors Corporation in a year, the 3.9-metre long Naimo
concept explores the practicalities of introducing a zero-emissions,
five-door, four-seater city car into a future niche market.
Measuring 3,890 mm in length, the
Naimo’s generous wheelbase, width and height (2,647, 1,844 and 1,589 mm
respectively) – plus the short overhangs which place a wheel at each
corner – ensure that the cabin provides exceptional head, leg and
shoulder room for the occupants.
The concept car has no B-pillars and
features rear-hinged rear doors to maximise easy access to the cabin,
and a three-way split opening boot-lid, allows versatile access to the
load bay for varying luggage sizes.
Power comes from a Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor with a maximum output of 80 kW (109 ps) and maximum
torque of 280 Nm, enabling Naimo to reach a top speed of 150 kph (93
mph).
A twin-pack 27 kWh battery is located
under the boot floor and uses innovative Lithium Ion Polymer technology
that offers numerous advantages over other battery types. Equipped with
this battery, Naimo provides a driving range of 200 km (124 miles) on a
single charge. To enhance range, the showcar is fitted with special
low-drag 20-inch diameter alloy wheels.
Under the quick recharging cycle (50
kW) the Naimo’s battery can be recharged to 80 percent of its capacity
within 25 minutes. Under the normal cycle (3.3 kW), 100 percent power
is attained after five and a half hours.
Naimo will join Kia’s growing test
fleet of hybrid, electric and fuel-cell vehicles being extensively
driven in widely varying conditions to develop future production models
with zero or significantly reduced emissions.
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