Detroit show: Kia teases sportscar concept

KIA has released its first teaser image of a sports car concept that it will debut at the Detroit motor show next month.

The concept is a 2+2 sports car that Kia said in a statement “is intended to turn heads while delivering superb driving enjoyment on both road and track”.

The darkened gold image released by the South Korean car-maker is taken from above and gives little away, although it appears to feature bulging wheel arches, a rounded nose and a coupe-like tail-gate at the rear.

No other details have been released, but Kia says in the statement that we should expect “more glimpses” of the concept in the weeks leading up to the show.

In the past two years, Kia has unveiled a number of concepts at motor shows, designed to gauge reaction from crowds for a possible production run.

While there have been a series of SUV concepts, including the tough-looking Niro compact SUV from this year’s Frankfurt show and the family-sized Cross GT from Chicago earlier in the year, Kia has also revealed its fair share of quirky small car and sportscar concepts.

The Provo from this year’s Geneva show gave a glimpse at a premium-focussed B-segment offering that could do battle with the likes of the Mini hatch and the Citroen DS3 if given the production green light.

The quirky Cub hatch from this year’s Seoul motor show was a four-door hatch concept with styling cues taken from the stunning GT sports sedan that the Korean manufacturer ripped the covers off at the 2011 Frankfurt show.

Rumours of a production version of the GT have been swirling since its debut more than two years ago, but the whispers picked up pace in October this year when a senior Kia executive confirmed the company had plans to build the GT for release by the end of 2016 or early 2017.

Whether the Detroit concept is a further iteration of the GT remains to be seen, but all will be revealed at the show’s press day on Monday 13 January.

The sportiest model in Kia’s local line-up is the 150kW/250Nm 1.6-litre Koup Turbo that can dash from a standing start to 100km/h in 7.4 seconds and retails from $27,990, plus on-road costs.

This will be joined early next year by Kia’s Volkswagen Golf rival, the Pro_Cee’d GT hot-hatch that features the same turbocharged engine as the blown Koup.