Detroit show: Kia starts GT tease

KIA has kicked off a month-long teaser campaign for its forthcoming four-door rear-wheel drive performance sedan that will be revealed at the Detroit motor show.

A dedicated website called The Curve Ahead features a clock counting down to January 8, which is the day before the first press day for the Detroit motor show.

The car-maker has revealed little about the new model, but as previously reported, the big rear-wheel drive cruiser is expected to be powered by a twin-turbo V6 petrol engine and will become the performance flagship in Kia’s line-up.

The name of the car is also uncertain, although a number of publications have speculated that it will be called Stinger – following the name of the two-door coupe concept that made its debut in Detroit in 2014.

Others have suggested that it will take the name of the concept its design is heavily based on – the GT from the 2011 Frankfurt motor show.

Further down the website there is a grainy image of the GT concept in a showroom sitting next to the Stinger concept, suggesting that the name could be GT Stinger.

Spy shots and a recently leaked video reveal that the new four-door will indeed follow the design of the five-year old concept, while introducing new design elements.

Very little is revealed in the video, but it does show the speed reaching as fast as 244km/h while it is being tested on the Nurburgring in Germany where Kia shares a development centre with sister brand Hyundai.

The model is likely to be underpinned by the same platform that will form the basis of the BMW 3 Series-baiting Genesis G70 that was previewed in concept form at this year’s New York motor show.

It is likely to be powered by the 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 that in Genesis G90 guise currently pumps out 272kW/510Nm, but in Kia spec that should blow out even more and it will paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Back in June, Kia Motors Australia chief operating officer Damien Meredith confirmed that the new model would be added to the local line-up in mid-to-late 2017.

This is about the time Holden shuts its local manufacturing operations, and is a year after Ford shut its factories, leaving a gap in the market for enthusiasts who want a powerful rear-drive sedan.

More information on the unnamed four-door sports sedan will be released in the coming weeks.