Kia Diesel Hybrid On The Chopping Block?

The Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal that delivered a black eye to the diesel engine last year may have claimed another victim in the form of Kia’s planned diesel-electric hybrid.

Designed to combine the efficiency of a diesel engine with a zero-emission electric motor, the hybrid project promised ultra-low fuel consumption along with oodles of torque and driveability in future Kia models.

But now, Kia’s Albert Biermann says ever-tightening emissions laws may kill off the project, along with battery prices - which remain expensive despite the progression of electric and hybrid-powered vehicles.

“The research project is still going on but the cost of electric motors and batteries in a hybrid is already significant,” Biermann said, speaking with the UK’s Autocar.  

“The question is whether it is really necessary to throw in a more expensive diesel engine.”

While Biermann does not point the finger at Dieselgate, faltering public opinion around diesels means such a project could fail to deliver the goods on the sales charts.

Hybrids