Autoblog

New Kia Ray is Korea's first production EV

Zach Bowman — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Wagon, Technology, Hatchback, Kia, Electric, South Korea

Kia has unveiled the automaker's very first production electric vehicle. The Kia Ray EV will offer buyers a range of around 86 miles depending on driving conditions and will include a fast-charge option that should top off the cells in around 25 minutes. Otherwise, expect the 16.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack to take around six hours to charge on a 220-volt circuit. A 50 kW electric motor provides power to the front wheels, which is good enough to get the EV to 62 mph in 15.9 seconds. That may seems slow by most standards, but its worth noting that the internal combustion Ray with its 1.0-liter gas engine makes due with significantly less torque.

Kia says that Ray EV boasts 123 pound-feet of torque, which is 77 percent more than the 1.0-liter machine. The boxy EV also uses a new type of regenerative braking system in which the electric motor generates boost for the hydraulic brake assist - just like on an internal combustion vehicle. The automaker says that the result is a linear brake that still manages to recuperate energy that would otherwise be lost during deceleration. As wonky brake feel is one of our chief sticking points with all EVs, this comes as welcome news.

Kia will manufacture 2,500 Ray EVs for government agency use in Korea, so don't expect to be able to get your hands on one anytime soon. Click past the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading New Kia Ray is Korea's first production EV

New Kia Ray is Korea's first production EV originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia shows first images of Korea-only Ray

Zach Bowman — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:31:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Minivan/Van, Kia, South Korea

Kia is giving Korean small-car buyers something to smile about with the new Kia Ray subcompact. The vehicle looks to have taken a cue or two from its bigger brothers with stylized headlights and a very corporate mesh grille. We see plenty of Soul in the design, but there's more to the boxy machine than a quick glance would suggest.

Look closely and you'll note that the driver's side wears two traditionally hinged doors while the passenger side boasts a sliding rear door akin to what we typically expect to see on a minivan. Why abandon symmetry? Kia says that the company wanted to give buyers more flexibility when it came to ingress and egress in tight parking spaces.

The design is also expected to give the pint-sized Ray more versatility than buyers are accustomed to from the segment. Right now, Kia says that the Ray is only slated to show up on Korean dealer lots, which means we won't be seeing the vehicle on our shores anytime soon. No engine specifications have been released at this time, either, but we can imagine that the Ray won't boast eye-popping performance.

Kia shows first images of Korea-only Ray originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chicago 2010: Kia Ray PHEV concept finally unveiled

Sam Abuelsamid — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Concept Cars, Hybrid, Sedan, Kia, Electric

Kia Ray PHEV concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

The time has come to move on from teaser images; Kia has finally pulled the covers off its new plug-in hybrid concept. As this is being written ahead of the official unveiling at the Chicago Auto Show, we know a few more details about the concept, but we are still largely in the dark about the technical nitty gritty. The Ray rides on the same 106.3 inch wheelbase as the Hyundai Blue-Will PHEV concept but the overall length is four inches greater.

The Kia design team under Peter Schreyer has put a lot of emphasis on the aerodynamics of this concept, giving it a longer tail and, thanks to a roof that's four inches lower, a smaller frontal area than the earlier Hyundai concept. The aero number will also benefit from narrower tires, with the Kia rolling on 195/50R20 tires compared to the 245/40R20 rubber on the Hyundai.

The debut of the Ray also marks the launch of Kia's new green sub-brand, EcoDynamics. Like Volkswagen's BlueMotion and Ford's Econetic, EcoDynamics will denote the most efficient variants of Kia's model line. We can expect to see the new badge showing up on Kia's in the near future.

Learn more about the powertrain after the jump.

Gallery: Kia Ray Concept at Chicago Auto Show

Gallery: Kia Ray PHEV Concept

Live photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Kia]

Continue reading Chicago 2010: Kia Ray PHEV concept finally unveiled

Chicago 2010: Kia Ray PHEV concept finally unveiled originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia Ray shows a bit more skin ahead of Chicago Auto Show

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:58:00 EST

Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Concept Cars, Hybrid, Kia, Electric

Kia Ray Concept teasers - Click above for high-res image gallery

Kia has been teasing us over the last few weeks with the Ray concept car bound for next week's Chicago Auto Show, and today the Korean automaker has lifted up the skirt just a few more inches to show off what appears to be the concept's front fascia and headlights.

So, what do we know so far about the Kia Ray? Pretty much nothing other than the fact that it will be a plug-in hybrid of sorts, and that it looks pretty small. There may or may not be solar cells on the roof - naming it the Ray may have something to do with the sun, right? - and it may use the underpinnings from parent company Hyundai's Blue-Will concept.

So, now that we've gone over what we don't know, take a gander at the two teaser images that Kia's provided so far and try your best to wait patiently for the rest of the goods next week.

Gallery: Kia Ray PHEV concept

[Source: Kia]

Kia Ray shows a bit more skin ahead of Chicago Auto Show originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia Ray plug-in hybrid concept teased ahead of Chicago show

Sam Abuelsamid — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 07:56:00 EST

Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Concept Cars, Hybrid, Sedan, Kia, Electric

Kia Ray plug-in hybrid concept - Click above to enlarge

Kia is hoping to steal the spotlight at what may be another relatively quiet auto show in Chicago next month with a new plug-in hybrid concept dubbed the Ray. The teaser image sent out by Kia last night shows off what looks like a four-door sedan, possibly with a solar photovoltaic roof to aid in charging the battery or cooling the interior.

The concept was created at the Kia Design Center America and is the first from the Korean brand based on this powertrain architecture. We'd guess the powertrain is similar to the Hyundai Blue-Will concept that was shown at the Detroit Auto Show last week. That car is based on the same configuration that will go into a production hybrid Sonata later this year, but with a bigger motor and battery that is claimed to give a 40-mile electric driving range.

[Source: Kia]

Kia Ray plug-in hybrid concept teased ahead of Chicago show originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 07:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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