How to
replace a car like Sportage? That’s the problem vexing Kia right now, stuck with having to
launch a successor to arguably its most European, desirable car to date.
But a
subtle hint was dropped at this month’s Guangzhou motor show: the new Kia KX3 concept car.
It’s a
thinly veiled look at the next-generation 2015 Kia Sportage, which will again
come to Europe.
Kia KX3: what does it tell us about the 2015
Sportage?
Plenty.
The style is plain to see: it’s an evolution of today’s Sportage, a slick
mid-sized SUV with the latest iteration of Kia’s tiger-snout front grille.
This is
a concept car, remember; we hope the finished design will retain some of the
calm sophistication that’s made today’s Sportage such a hit. The over-styled
nostrils and headlamps are a little too fussy to these eyes.
Kia says the KX3 is
designed to appeal to young Chinese buyers keen on that outdoor lifestyle vibe.
You know: lugging mountain bikes to far-flung hilltops, yomping surfboards to
the coast, that kinda thing.
The tech spec
This
concept car is 4260mm long and 1765mm wide, suggesting the footprint of 2015’s Kia Sportage will be
remarkably similar to today’s model. Boot space stands at 400 litres.
Providing
the firepower is Kia’s 1.6
T-GDI petrol engine, the new downsized four-cylinder with a seven-speed
twin-clutch transmission.
We’d
argue the Sportage has done more to transform Kia’s image than any of its other
models; competing in the desirable SUV sector which continues to fuel growth
helps - and the Koreans are desperate to make sure they don’t throw out the
baby with the bathwater.
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