The compact crossover has already been seen in concept form at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show and has been styled by Kia’s design centres in California, USA and Namyang, Korea, including familiar Kia design features such as the tigernose grille with SUV styling.

Technical details haven’t been announced but Kia says the Niro is the first model to be based on its new dedicated eco-car platform.

It also features a dedicated petrol-electric hybrid powertrain specifically developed for the Niro and set to achieve a sub-90g/km CO2 emissions rating.