Kia plans to roll-out 16 new electric or hybrid models by 2025

South Korean car maker is the latest manufacturer eyeing expansion of its line-up beyond petrol

Kia plans to roll out 16 new electric and hybrid model by 2025. It is the latest manufacturer eyeing expansion of its lineup beyond gasoline. Frederic J. Brown / AFP

Kia Motors is the latest automaker to get amped up about electrification, pledging to roll-out 16 new advanced power-train vehicles by 2025 as it looks to further expand its line-up beyond gasoline.

The car maker - which displayed at CES a battery-only concept of its Niro subcompact sport utility vehicle with 383 kilometres of driving range - will introduce a combination of gas-electric and plug-in hybrids, plus pure-electric models and a fuel-cell electric vehicle that will be released in 2020. Of the 16 new models, 10 will arrive in the United States by 2020, spokesman James Bell said.

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Seeking to capitalise on the high-tech halo of the annual CES event, the South Korean car maker also said on Monday it plans to begin pilot testing fully self-driving cars in select urban areas by 2021. In addition, every Kia sold will be connected to a global communications network to help with self-driving and other functions by 2030.

The company will also expand its WiBLE car-sharing service from South Korea to Europe and other regions later this year, it said.

Kia has not decided yet whether to bring WiBLE to the US, Mr Bell said.