Kia Won’t Plug Electric Car at Anaheim Event

One vehicle that won’t be unveiled at the Anaheim auto show--even though the importer is based in Orange County--is Kia Motors’ prototype electric car.

The car, which uses the Kia Sephia sedan as the platform and high-performance nickel metal hydride batteries for power, is being unveiled in the U.S. at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, which opens Jan. 2 at the L.A. Convention Center.

Kia, the South Korean auto maker whose parent, Kia Group, is struggling with huge debts, says it will test the electric Sephia in the U.S. and South Korea next year. The company claims that its battery design will give the car more travel time and shorter recharging times than most other electric vehicles.

The company opted for the larger L.A. show because the car will not be ready to show until December and because the L.A. show draws more media attention, said Geno Effler, spokesman for Kia Motors America in Irvine.

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John O’Dell covers major Orange County corporations and manufacturing for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-5831 and at john.odell@latimes.com