Kia might cancel its planned hybrid diesel powertrain as VW’s Dieselgate scandal continues to unfold.
Although the project is still officially under development, Albert Biermann, Kia’s performance vehicle development boss admitted to Autocar that it’s becoming hard to justify the development of more expensive diesel engines with the emission standards becoming increasingly more stringent.
“The research project is still going on,” he said, “but the cost of electric motors and batteries in a hybrid is already significant. The question is whether it is really necessary to throw in a more expensive diesel engine.”
If Kia decides to scrap the plan for a hybrid diesel powertrain, the research done so far will not be wasted. Biermann suggested that in this case the hybrid system will be adapted to work with a petrol engine instead. “We also have a very efficient Atkinson-cycle gasoline engine, so I think that is the good choice here”, he added.
The idea for a hybrid diesel powertrain was revealed with the Optima T-Hybrid that was shown at the 2014 Paris Auto Show. The concept featured the company’s 1.7-litre CRDi diesel engine which was aided by a 48v electric supercharger, a concept similar to what Audi uses in the Audi SQ7.
Back then, Kia estimated that a production version of that powertrain would cut emissions and fuel consumption of a model fitted with it by 15 to 20 per cent.
Note: 2014 Kia Optima T Hybrid Concept pictured
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