KIA GT CONCEPT - REVIEW AND NEWS

Here’s a change of pace: a Kia sedan whose shape doesn’t remind us at all of any Hyundaiproduct. This four-seat concept, introduced at the Frankfurt auto show, hints at the expected rear-wheel-drive sports sedan from Kia—which would be a first for the brand. It’s looking like a pretty sure thing, while also looking pretty darn good and unlike anything we’ve seen yet from Korea.

Although the production intent is there—we’ve heard from more than one Kia official that this car is in the works—the concept version sticks to the industry standard of auto-show dress-up. For instance, given that copper is currently trading higher than aluminum, we expect the metallic detail that encircles the front quarter-window and sweeps back along the roofline to be rendered in another material come production time. The same goes for the copper-finished brake calipers. The floating, one-piece seats will be replaced with adjustable, crash-ready units, and the side-view cameras swapped for old-fashioned mirrors. Something we haven’t seen before, but which is equally unlikely for production, is the metallic-treated leather. It’s supposed to become buffed and develop patina over time. A permanently visible ass groove is one way to make a car uniquely yours.

Looks like Other Cars, Just Not Korean Ones

Ignore the carbon-fiber wheel fins and sills, the glass-panel OLED interior controls, and the suicide doors, and you still end up with an attractive and eye-catching design. Kia design chief Peter Schreyer has gone on record saying he wants to build more interesting and fun-to-drive cars, and this is one about which he’s clearly excited. The GT’s silhouette reminds somewhat of the Porsche Panamera and Audi A7, which is no bad thing. At least when it comes to styling, where it has in the past diverged most from its Hyundai sibling, Kia seems to be heading in the right direction.

New vehicle platforms being the expensive, engineering-intensive undertakings that they are, we fully expect the production version of this concept to ride on underpinnings shared with Hyundai. Kia even supplied dimensions for the GT (more evidence of an imminent if not already lit green light), quoting a wheelbase of 112.6 inches, which is three inches shy of the Hyundai Genesis sedan’s and 1.6 greater than the Genesis Coupe’s. In other words, it’s doable with the company’s current rear-drive parts.

A Turbo Six This Way Comes

The GT does make use of a new engine, one which we expect to see in the near future powering the production version of the GT concept, as well as other Hyundai/Kia products. It’s a turbocharged version of the direct-injected 3.3-liter V-6 engine the conglomerate sells in other markets. In this application, it’s tied to the new eight-speed automatic seen in theGenesis and Equus, and delivers 390 hp and 394 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels. The engine makes sense as the downsized replacement for the Koreans’ current 4.6-liter V-8. When the GT—or some semblance thereof—goes into production, either a turbocharged four-cylinder or a naturally aspirated V-6 will likely power the base model.

Even if it does borrow from the Genesis, a production version of the GT is promised to be much more sport-oriented than Hyundai’s luxury sedan, more like (or a more successful version of) what the new Genesis R-spec sedan is trying to be. For now, we can say with confidence that a rear-drive Kia sedan is coming and will look a lot like the GT concept. As Peter Schreyer said in his closing remarks at the car’s Frankfurt debut, “It may be a dream now, but sometimes dreams come true.” Such openness and honesty about a concept car’s future is yet another refreshing change of pace.