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When the possibility of the Rio hybrid was announced, Hyundai announced that the Kia Rio hybrid would be
a mild hybrid - it would not be able to run on
electricity at low speeds - but the hybrid was still projected to achieve as much as 40 mpg, at least on the highway.
Already, Kia offers similar hybrids in Korea, such as the Forte hybrid.
Hyundai's plan was to combine a
90-horsepower 1.4 liter, 4 cylinder gas engine with a 16
hp electric motor.
With an
electric motor in between the flywheel and the gearbox,
the Rio hybrid would still use regenerative breaking to
recharge its power pack.
During highway driving, the
electric motor would not assist the gasoline engine,
except during acceleration. The electric motor would also
assist the Rio hybrid's gasoline engine during starting
and hill climbing.
The Kia
hybrid was also set to be the first Kia to utilize a
continuously variable transmission (CVT), and it would also
incorporate a number of lightweight components intended to
help the Rio hybrid achieve higher levels of fuel
efficiency.
The first
batch of these Kia Rio hybrids was built for
the South Korean government as part of a test fleet, but it appears these hybrids might have been discontinued.
Although Hyundai is developing full hybrid vehicles, the automaker has recently stated the new engine new technologies are capable of making its vehicles much more fuel effcient without the need of any batteries. For instance, the new Elantra achieves 40 mpg, just like the Rio hybrid was expected to achieve -- but without batteries.
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