What is it?
It's a me-too petrol-electric hybrid car, but a decent looking one. Sadly, the quoted 45mpg economy is hardly groundbreaking - a diesel Land Rover Freelander gets 45.6mpg.
Kia would argue, probably, that the Optima's electric-only mode means its real world economy over shorter journeys makes it very purposeful.
Why's it here?
It's the first Kia petrol electric hybrid for the American market, which is probably why it has a 2.4-litre petrol engine, and why 45mpg seems worth bragging about. Impressively, the car can get up to 62mph in electric-only mode, and will get there in 9.2 seconds. Kia doesn't say what its battery range is though.
It goes on sale in the US early next year, and represents a 40 percent efficiency improvement over the non-hybrid Optima.
Show stopper or floor filler?
Nobody's falling over themselves to get a glimpse of a Kia sedan (which is an American word for 'saloon', we believe) although it's a significant car. There's every chance the technology will make its way here, albeit without an engine of quite as much capacity. We'll see...
Click here to view the 2010 LA Auto Show page.
Mark Nichol - 18 Nov 2010
