Kia Begins Selling Its First Hybrid, an LPG-Electric Version of the Forte Sedan

Kia Begins Selling Its First Hybrid, an LPG-Electric Version of the Forte Sedan

Only days after Hyundai began selling its first hybrid vehicle , fellow South Korean automaker Kia started selling its first hybrid (pictured ).

Both automakers have now joined the ranks of hybrid-vehicle producers, but only they have done so with cars that are fueled by liquefied petroleum gas and electricity. Most mass produced hybrid vehicles today use a combination of gasoline and electricity.

Seoul-based Kia aims to sell 2,000 Forte LPG-electric hybrids domestically this year, the company said today, adding that sales may rise to 5,000 of the cars in 2010.

The timing for both South Korean automakers to introduce hybrid vehicles is excellent, as fuel-efficient cars and trucks have been gaining popularity amid a global economic slowdown.

The Forte hybrid, equipped with a 1.6-liter engine, can travel 42 miles on one gallon of LPG. LPG costs less than half of gasoline in South Korea, hence the reason Kia and Hyundai chose to go the LPG-electric route with their initial hybrids.

The Forte hybrid, which is based on Kia's gasoline-fueled Forte meets California's Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle standard, according to the company - a sign that it intends to sell the model in America, although the automaker was mum on that topic. The model starts at $16,000.

Kia plans to introduce a gasoline-electric hybrid midsize sedan in 2011 and to develop a plug-in hybrid vehicle by 2013, company officials said.

Scott Doggett:  is an AutoObserver.com Associate Editor.