The Kia GT4 Stinger concept has been revealed at the Detroit motor show. It is expected the car will go on sale by 2016, pitched as a Toyota GT86 rival.
Kia Stinger production car revealed - read the full January 2017 story here
The concept “harks back to the days of affordable sports cars”, according to the company. The rear-wheel-drive Stinger coupé uses a 315bhp turbocharged version of Kia’s 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine, driving a six-speed manual gearbox.
The 4.3m-long Stinger, which was created at Kia’s California design studio, is based on a bespoke platform, uses double wishbone suspension and gets transparent A-pillars. As part of the car’s ‘rawness’, it does without carpets. The firm says the Stinger provides a “possible glimpse into Kia’s future”.
Tom Kearns, designer chief at Kia’s American design centre said: "Driving enjoyment was the number one priority in designing the GT4 Stinger. It's a 2+2 sports car that can turn heads as a daily driver while also being right at home on the track.
“It's about purity, simplicity and timelessness. The GT4 Stinger is a throwback to days when driving a car was a visceral experience that wasn't muted by electronic gimmickry.”
Development of the GT4 Stinger was made possible by Kia’s success in the Pirelli World Challenge in a pair of Kia Optimas. Kearns said that its race wins provided “credibility” to the project.
The car is powered by a 315bhp version of Kia’s 2.0-litre T-GDI petrol engine, and is shared with the Optima racers. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.
The transparent A-pillars are said to provide a 270-degree view from the driver’s seat and the glasshouse provides a profile similar to that of the Kia Soul.
Kia says that while there are no plans bring the concept to production, Kia says it has a “history of delivering production vehicles that bear a strong resemblance to the concept that preceded them, and the GT4 Stinger provides a possible and highly provocative glimpse into Kia's future”.
Vice president of Kia in the US Tom Loveless said: "Stinger is a tribute to a day when performance about a direct link between driver and machine, not a list of electronic aids."
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Feels funny ...
We Europeans do like good looking powerful cars but we also have a low-carbon conscience. I suppose Kia will know that going by the sale of its GT models.
SAAB aero - x
Want!!
Oktoberfest wrote:250bhp,
or 315bhp even... from a 2.0!