Kia will show us more of the GT4 Stinger in Detroit.
“Behold the Kia GT4 Stinger,” our friends from Korea suggest, offering the first rendering of the sporty little concept vehicle the maker plans to reveal at the North American International Auto Show just a little more than a week from now.
The maker had previously hinted that it was working up a 2+2 hatchback concept. And now that it’s given the show car a name, it is supplying just enough new information to keep us teased.
Perhaps most intriguing is the mention of a “turbocharged 2.0-liter that pumps 315 horsepower to the rear wheels.”
The Korean carmaker does have both an engine and rear-drive platform in the parts bin it shares with sibling brand Hyundai, so perhaps we may learn at the Detroit Auto Show about some production plans.
But for now, the only other hard information we can relay is the fact that the show car will have an extremely low, supercar-like ride height, that it rides on custom 20-inch wheels, features a carbon fiber front splitter mounted below the bumper, and that white surrounds and vertical LED headlamps surround an even more sporty version of the current Kia “tiger nose” grille.
The front end almost has an Audi R8-like appearance and that seems to fit the direction the automaker is taking. Long known for its bare-bones econoboxes, Kia has been developing a more recent reputation for cutting-edge styling thanks to former Audi designer Peter Schreyer, now a Vice Chairman of Hyundai-Kia and still the design boss of the smaller brand.
(Click Here to find out more about the 124-mile Kia Soul battery car.)
Kia recently underscored its move up-market by announcing plans to produce the new K900 premium luxury sedan; at as much as $70,000, the four-door taking aim at the likes of the Audi A8, BMW 7-Series, Mercedes-Benz S-Class – and the Hyundai Genesis.
(Click Here for a closer look at the K900.)
What else can we add about the GT4 Stinger Concept? We’ll give Kia the last word, the maker suggesting it is “aimed at delivering head-turning looks while providing superb driving enjoyment, whether on the road or at the track.”