Detroit show: Kia goes for Stinger
BY RON HAMMERTON | 3rd Jan 2014
The South Korean company says the wide and wild 2+2 coupe will be powered by a 235kW 2.0-litre turbo-charged four-cylinder engine under the bonnet and driving the rear wheels.
It also has announced that the coupe will ride on 20-inch wheels, while headlights are vertical stacks of horizontal LEDs. In between them, the trademark “tiger tooth” Kia grille is recognisable around a massive air opening, just above a low-slung aerodynamic splitter made of carbon fibre.
The GT4 Stinger image released overnight is the second of the car ahead of its Detroit debut. The first image, released last month, was an overhead shot showing bulging fenders and a sloping glass-topped tail.
Kia still has given no word on the Stinger’s potential for production, saying only that more information will be forthcoming once the car is formally unveiled at the show on January 13.
However, reports dating from October suggest Kia is planning a rear-drive GT sportscar in 2016 or 2017.
If the Stinger goes into production in its 2.0-litre four-cylinder, rear-drive configuration, it might be a direct rival for the Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ twins and, potentially, the upcoming new-generation Mazda MX-5 and its Alfa Romeo Spider spin-off.
Kia design guru Peter Schreyer has long talked about his desires to produce a serious sports machine for the South Korean manufacturer.
German-born and based Mr Schreyer, who is now chief design officer for both Kia and Hyundai, is a former Audi designer best known for his penning of the original Audi TT.
Perhaps not coincidentally, the latest GT4 Stinger image reveals an Audi-esque design, reminiscent of the Audi R8 sports flagship.
