Kia GT heading to showrooms from 2016 – report
If reports are correct, a slinky four-door vehicle based on the Kia GT concept will be heading into showrooms around the world from the end of 2016.
Unnamed Kia executives have told Edmunds that a production car based on the GT concept car, which was revealed back at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show, will be heading into showrooms from 2016 onwards.
The key target market for the GT, or whatever it will be called, will be the USA, where the car will be launched first. Europe is apparently also on the agenda, although it's unknown at this stage whether right-hand drive and Australian sales are part of the plan.
The concept car featured a 3.3-litre turbocharged V6 pumping out 290kW of power and 534Nm of torque. Power was sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
While that drivetrain may grace the production version, it's unlikely that the concept's rear-hinged suicide doors will meet the same fate. According to the US publication, Europe-bound GTs will be fitted with a more hip-pocket-friendly turbo-diesel engine.
It's likely that the production version will share its underpinnings with the rear-wheel drive K900/K9/Quoris sedan, which is itself a very close relation to the slightly smaller Hyundai Genesis and the larger Hyundai Equus.
The Genesis will go on sale in Australia later this year, and will be Hyundai's first serious tilt at the luxury market in Australia.
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