KIA is plugging in to green technology with a wave of high economy models.
The Korean car maker took the wraps of a new tax exempt version of the cee’d hatchback as well as electric and hybrid concepts at the Geneva Motor Show.
The new EcoDynamics cee’d is based on the current stop/start version which was introduced last year but slashes CO2 emissions to 98g/km from 110.
At the moment cars with CO2 emissions below 100g/km escape road tax duty for private motorists.
Powered by a 1.6-litre diesel engine the newcomer gets its eco credentials from aerodynamic tweaks including air deflectors around low rolling resistance tyres.
It is also slightly lower than the standard model and has a gearshift indicator system to tell the driver the correct setting for maximum economy.
The car is built in Europe at Kia’s state of the art Slovakian factory but its on-sale date has still to be decided.
As well as the high economy cee’d, Kia also showed off an electric version of the new Venga compact MPV at Geneva.
Only a concept at the moment, Kia says the Venga EV will have a range of 112 miles and will take 20 minutes to recharge its batteries to 80 per cent capacity. A full boost from the mains takes eight hours.
The car is said to have a top speed of 87mph with 0 to 60 acceleration of 11.8 seconds – almost as quick as the standard petrol model.
In another step towards lowering emissions the company’s space age Ray concept car made its European debut having been unveiled earlier this year in the US.
The Ray, designed by Kia’s styling director Peter Schreyer, is a plug-in hybrid which uses a conventional 1.4-litre petrol engine backed up by an electric motor. In one mode it can run purely on electricity and can be recharged from a domestic supply.
In normal use the Ray can average some 77mpg while, as a plug-in, its theoretical economy shoots up to more than 200mpg. It has a top speed of almost 110mph and a range of around 750miles.
Kia also staged the world debut of its new Sportage SUV at the Swiss car show.
The Sportage will be on sale later this year and will be available either in two or four-wheel drive formats and with an initial choice of two-litre petrol or diesel engines.
The diesels are claimed to be capable of almost 50 to the gallon with emissions of 149g/km and the petrol version will average 37 and have a CO2 rating of 181g/km.