If you think the sun-lovin’, soft-top Soulster has been the sole concept car from Kia Motors at this year’s North American International Auto Show, I can prove you wrong. Kind of unexpectedly, another “Kia” concept vehicle bowed in the middle of the Cobo Centre in Detroit and you can see it here.

To demonstrate it’s latest car-technology development, Johnshon Controls, a Wisconsin-based supplier of interior elements like seats and electronic gadgets, unveiled its own green concept vehicle at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Called RE3, the Johnson Controls’ concept car features a plug-in hybrid powertrain, lithium ion battery pack, and eco-friendly renewable interior materials that are lighter in weight than conventional materials found on cars these days.

Of course, the most interesting part of this concept vehicle is it’s eco-friendly technology, but for us, Kia fans, it’s also interesting to see the concept using body shell from five-door Kia cee’d.

             

Click image to enlarge!

Official press release

Johnson Controls RE3 concept car

For Johnson Controls , a major goal is finding new opportunities to help its customers succeed by creating “smart” environments. In terms of vehicles, this means creating products that bring value today — reducing weight, optimizing cost and providing sustainable solutions that generate consumer appeal.

With the debut of its re3 concept vehicle at the 2009 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit this week, Johnson Controls demonstrates its strong capabilities and latest innovations in product and process technologies targeting the growing small car segment.

The re3 exemplifies a smart environment that has three key elements: re:think — shifting the paradigm of what a small car should be, enabled by innovative engineering; re:new — providing an interior based on the core principles of sustainability; and re:spond — presenting a holistic experience that generates strong consumer appeal, through a focus on human machine interaction (HMI), comfort and interior ambiance.

Designers and engineers at Johnson Controls understand that the automotive market has shifted and that consumers today demand smaller cars, which are more fuel-efficient and eco-friendly, without compromising features and functions. The re3 concept offers more room in less space, more amenities in a value-priced segment and more fuel-efficiency in a vehicle with an appealing personality. It features a wide range of innovations developed by Johnson Controls, including:
– A plug-in hybrid battery system that allows generous seating for five adults in the vehicle;

– New, class-leading storage capacity in the instrument panel, enabled by the company’s Ecospace technology;

– An “extended cluster,” which includes a traditional gauge cluster, along with a 7-inch color, touch panel display;

– A seat-wing armrest and controller on the driver’s seat, enabling some of the controls to be moved from the center stack to the seat;

– A conversational seating arrangement, offering new ways to interact in the interior, as well as Slim Seating and rear, stadium-style folding seats; and

– Eco-friendly, renewable materials with “natural look” finishes throughout the interior.