2022 Kia Niro EV spied again undergoing testing in Germany

The next-generation 2022 Kia Niro has been snapped undergoing testing in Germany ahead of its official release, giving us another glimpse of what Kia's future electric crossover will look like.

Although the new Niro is wearing heavy camouflage, there's a strong resemblance to the HabaNiro concept which was unveiled at the 2019 New York International Auto Show, including a sharper, sportier C-pillar than the existing Niro.

While it misses out on the HabaNiro's radical butterfly doors, the Niro looks to have the concept vehicle's vertical tail-lights, a departure from the horizontally mounted units which currently feature.

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The upcoming Kia Niro, spied in Germany

The front design also features a significant change from Kia's current design language, doing away with the tiger-nose grille, which is universal across its range, in favour of a 'shark snout'.

The pre-production car's headlights also appear to sit lower in the front fascia – the units looking different to the narrow, horizontal lights and daytime running lights in the HabaNiro, suggesting this could be changed.

Interior photos, seen for the first time, show a significantly more understated cabin than the designs from the HabaNiro, featuring a more traditional digital dash, centre console and centrally-mounted infotainment screen compared to the concept's car-width dashboard, floating console and yoke-styled steering wheel.

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Interior pictures of the new Niro show a much more traditional cabin than the HabaNiro concept

No details on the mechanical underpinnings of the Niro or HabaNiro have been revealed, although the concept featured all-wheel-drive, a driving range of over 500km and level-five autonomy for full self-driving operation.

Despite arriving on Australian shores in May this year, the current-generation Niro has been on sale overseas since 2016 with the EV variant joining the fold in 2018, hence the seemingly sudden change to a new design shortly after its Australian debut.

Powering the existing Niro is a 150kW and 395Nm permanent magnetic electric motor, coupled to a 356-volt lithium-ion battery pack which allows for a driving range of up to 455km.

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Kia's HabaNiro Concept