Kia GT Concept
Kia has shown a smart-looking rear-drive 'coupe saloon' concept at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show
Some old-fashioned show candy from Frankfurt now, in the shapely shape of the Kia GT – a rear-wheel drive concept clearly hinting that the Korean manufacturer is thinking of moving in what we’re glad to see is a more evo direction.
It’s another of those ‘four door coupes’ according to the blurb, and is Kia’s first even rear-wheel drive model. Power comes from a turbocharged 3.3-litre V6 engine with 390bhp, and gets delivered by an eight-speed automatic transmission. The clean, handsome lines are the work of Kia’s European design team, led by Peter Schreyer, and while details like the rear-hinged rear doors are inevitably more for show than go, it's clearly possible that something very similar looking could make it into production.
We’re meant to be seeing what’s described as an ‘aeronautical theme’ with propeller-style alloy wheels and ‘jet themed’ rear view cameras. It’s part of a series of motorshow concepts, including the Kia Kee and Kia Pop, hinting at a new, classier direction for the Korean brand.
Will anything like it ever get built? Well Kia does have access to the rear-drive platform of the Hyundai Genesis, and the 3.3-litre turbocharged V6 and eight-speed auto are also clearly possibilities. Fingers crossed.
