Is Kia readying a new minivan based on the KV7 concept debuting at the Detroit Auto Show?
Reports of the minivan’s demise have been greatly exaggerated and, if anything, the proliferation of new product, such as the all-new Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna, and updates of the Chrysler vans, have started pumping new life into the niche.
But other players continue to find it a hard slog to carve out share of their own. Just ask General Motors, Ford – and the Koreans, who haven’t done very well with their initial attempts to gain traction in the minivan market.
With segment sales still topping 1 million and showing signs of a modest rebound, Kia is ready to give it another try. Or so it hints. The smaller of the two Korean carmakers is offering up this less-than-revealing tease of the KV7 concept, which it plans to reveal during its Monday afternoon news conference at the Detroit Auto Show.
The maker’s terse descriptions suggests, the prototype was, “Conceived as a challenge to the industry’s current interpretation of the van, (and) incorporates several innovative lighting elements currently being evaluated for future Kia production vehicles.”
Beyond that, we’ll have to see just where the maker takes the concept of a minivan. Anticipate some expressive styling. The prototype was rolled out of Kia’s advanced design studio in Irvine, California, which has produced some of the more striking shapes to be graced by a Kia badge.
If Kia is serious about taking the KV7 into production it will have some competition. Ford abandoned the minivan segment several years ago but has tried to carve out an alternative niche with the Flex “people mover.” Ford is now getting ready to unveil another alternative in the form of the micro-minivan, the C-Max.
Based off the same Global C-Car platform as the 2012 Ford Focus, the American version of the C-Max will fit 7 despite its compact footprint. For more on the Ford C-Max, including a first drive, Click Here.