Kia has taken the wraps off another eco-friendly addition to the Optima family bound for this week’s Paris Motor Show.
It’s called the Optima T-Hybrid, and unlike the current gasoline hybrid in the Optima lineup, this concept is powered by a 1.7-litre turbodiesel engine mated to a 48-volt lead-carbon battery.
“In the future, our mild hybrid powertrain could offer Kia customers greater performance and lower running costs without sacrificing the qualities they expect of a Kia — enjoyable handling and comfortable ride quality,” Michael Cole, Kia’s chief operating officer in Europe, said in a press release. “Demonstrated for the first time in the Optima T-Hybrid, the technology will lower the total cost of ownership of our cars yet still keep them affordable as an outright purchase.”
Kia’s new diesel-hybrid powertrain can also run with an electric supercharger.
Handout, Kia
The new hybrid powertrain allows the Optima to not only run on all-electric mode at low speeds and when cruising, but it also recharges the battery pack while the driver decelerates.
Don’t expect to see the powertrain available anytime soon, however — it’s still under development and official output, fuel economy and range figures haven’t been released just yet, but Kia did say the powertrain can support the use of an electric supercharger, in addition to the turbo on the diesel engine.
We’ll bring you the latest on the Kia Optima T-Hybrid concept — and much more — when the Paris Motor Show kicks off this Thursday.
