LA Show: Kia Borrego FCEV with Fuel-Cell Electric System

Kia premiered its next-generation fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) system fitted on the new Borrego at the Los Angeles International Auto Show. A number of improvements have allowed the system to develop an additional 47HP compared to the previous FCEV powertrains bumping peak output to 154HP. With a 202-liter hydrogen storage tank located underneath the Borrego and ahead of the rear wheels, Kia's latest research vehicle has a range of about 426 miles. The top speed of the Borrego FCEV is 100 mph (160 km/h) while the vehicle accelerates from zero to 60 mph (96 km/h( in 12.8 sec. Kia also claims a 'best-in-class system efficiency of 62 percent' which translates to 54 mpg U.S.

"Entering this new phase of our program is really exciting," said Dr. Hyun Soon Lee, president of research and development for the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group. "Now we will be able to build fuel cell electric vehicles in higher volumes and lower cost for fleet testing and the latest Borrego FCEV drives us closer to making fuel cell vehicles available for consumers."

Technical Specifications

Type: Fuel Cell + Supercapacitor

Fuel Cell Output: 154 horsepower (115kW)

Additional Power Output: 134 horsepower Supercapacitor (100kW)

Traction Motor Output: 147 horsepower (110kW)

Dimensions: 192.1 x 75.4 x 71.3 inches

Curb Weight: 4,960 pounds (2,250kg)

Max. Speed: 100 mph

Zero to 60 mph Acceleration: 12.8 seconds

Max. Distance: 426 miles with three tanks

Fuel economy: 54 mpg (EPA combined F/E)

KIA Borrego Limited SEMA Concept

For this year's SEMA Show KIA has readied a subtly customized version of its new Borrego midsize SUV. The concept combines a black exterior paintjob with limo-style tint windows and enough chrome detailing to make a '57 Chevy look underrated. The SUV has also been lowered for a sleeker profile and outfitted with gaudy 22-inch Avarus Chrome Wheels and Spec-X 285/45R22 tires. Open up the doors and you're confronted with a custom-made leather interior boasting what appears to be alligator-skin (hopefully faux...) inserts on the seats. We'll probably forget this concept in less time than it takes an F1 car to go from naught to 60.

SEMA Preview: 2009 Kia Borrego SUV by Turbonetics

Even the new Kia Borrego SUV will make its way to next week's 2008 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The Korean firm's body-on-frame SUV has been taken into the loving care of Turbonetics which has prepared a variety of mechanical and styling modifications. The customized Borrego will feature among other things, a Gibson cat-back exhaust and K&N filter, a subtle bodykit complemented by 22-inch alloy wheels in Pirelli Scorpion Zero 265/40R22 tires and a Katzkin Leather interior with suede headliner and pillar wraps.

Kia Borrego SUV Achieves 5-Stars in NHSTA’s Crash Tests

Just over a week after it was announced that the Hyundai Genesis sedan scored a perfect 5-star rating in crash tests conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), another product of the Hyundai-Kia group, the Kia Borrego, managed to do the same. The seven-passenger midsize SUV achieved the highest rating possible, for all seating positions in both frontal and side impact crash tests. -Continued

“Borrego is Kia’s newest vehicle and it is a prime example of our commitment and dedication to providing the best and most up-to-date standard safety features in vehicles for consumers,” said Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of Kia Motors America and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia “Borrego joins four other Kia models – Optima, Sportage, Sorento and Sedona – in garnering a five-star crash safety rating, and further positions Kia as a serious up-and-coming contender in today’s competitive and economically challenging automotive market.”