The Kia GT Concept was a show car unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. It was a four-door, rear-wheel-drive saloon with rear-hinged back doors and a turbocharged V6, and it pointed the way to two production Kias.
Kia GT Concept at a glance
| Maker | Kia Motors |
|---|---|
| Shown | Frankfurt Motor Show, 2011 |
| Type | four-door concept saloon |
| Drive | rear-wheel drive |
| Doors | rear-hinged rear doors |
| Engine | 3.3-litre turbocharged V6 |
| Power | 390 bhp (291 kW, 395 PS) |
| Gearbox | six-speed automatic |
| Influenced | Kia K9 and Kia Stinger |
Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the GT Concept.
History of the Kia GT Concept
Kia revealed the GT Concept at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. It was a four-door saloon rather than a two-door coupé, and unusually for a concept it was built around rear-wheel drive, a layout Kia had not used for a passenger car in decades. The rear doors were rear-hinged, the arrangement often called suicide doors, which opened up the cabin for show visitors.
Mechanical specification
Under the bonnet sat a 3.3-litre turbocharged V6 producing 390 bhp (291 kW, 395 PS), driving through a six-speed automatic gearbox. Those numbers put the concept in the territory of large German saloons rather than Kia’s usual market, and they signalled that the company intended to move upmarket.
What it led to
The GT Concept became the design basis for two production cars: the Kia K9, the company’s first rear-wheel-drive luxury saloon, and the Kia Stinger, the fastback saloon that went on sale in 2017. The Stinger carried over the concept’s proportions and its rear-wheel-drive layout, though not the show car’s rear-hinged doors.
Design and features
- Rear-wheel drive: a layout new to modern Kia passenger cars.
- Turbocharged V6: 3.3 litres and 390 bhp through a six-speed automatic.
- Four-door coupé shape: a low roofline with rear-hinged back doors.
- Production influence: the design basis for the K9 and the Stinger.
Kia GT Concept versions
- GT Concept (2011): the only version built, shown at Frankfurt.
The GT Concept led to the Kia K8’s large saloon line and to the Stinger, and it followed the sporting ideas first seen in the Kia Elan. More Kia models are in the Kia collection.
Sources
- Kia GT Concept, English Wikipedia: design, engine, production influence
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