Kia Australia has hit the supply constrained Niro hybrid (HEV) and EV crossover with a price rise of up to $1290, depending on the variant, while adding extra equipment to one particular model.
The 2024 Kia Niro range now starts at $44,930 before on-roads for the HEV S, and extends to $72,360 before on-roads for the EV GT-Line. A full price list is at the bottom of this story.
A Kia Australia spokesperson has confirmed the price rise for the Niro is due to general cost increases centred around the high-voltage battery. It’s unclear if existing order holders are price protected.
The variant with the largest price increase is the Niro EV S, which swaps its 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system for a larger 10.25-inch touchscreen unit.
This larger 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system in the Niro EV S not only brings satellite navigation, but also the Kia Connect telematics system which adds emergency calling, remote control, and vehicle status monitoring functions.
The Kia Connect suite uses an onboard modem and Optus SIM. It was previously reserved for the flagship HEV and EV GT-Line variants. AI voice commands with natural voice recognition is still reserved for the Niro EV GT-Line.
There haven’t been any other specification changes for the rest of the local Niro line-up with the 2024 model year update.
As previously reported, Kia Australia CEO Damien Meredith confirmed the brand’s local arm can deliver just 50 units of the Niro EV per month “if the demand is there”.
General manager for product planning, Roland Rivero, later said the Niro’s tight supply is not very different to the challenging situation for electrified Sorento variants.
“Each model line has its own hurdles. Whilst we were fortunate enough to secure more EV6 stock, Niro and Sorento HEV/PHEV remain a struggle,” said Mr Rivero.
The new-generation Kia Niro arrived in Australia in July last year, following a very successful launch in South Korea.
A total of four variants are available across two powertrain offerings in Australia, with the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) model a no-go for this latest iteration.
Updated pricing for the 2024 Kia Niro is as follows:
- 2024 Kia Niro HEV S: $44,930 (+$550)
- 2024 Kia Niro HEV GT-Line: $50,580 (+$550)
- 2024 Kia Niro EV S: $66,590 (+$1290)
- 2024 Kia Niro EV GT-Line: $72,360 (+$260)
All prices are before on-road costs.
MORE: Everything Kia Niro