Kia has issued the following press release:
Kia Motors Corporation has confirmed that its all-new sports coupe concept car will make its World Premiere at this year’s Frankfurt International Motor Show on 11 September.
Conceived by Kia’s design team in Europe under the guidance of Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer, and manufactured in Europe, the new concept car, whose name remains secret at present, is a 2+2 coupe with an imposing road presence. — Kia premieres three all-new models at Frankfurt Show.
Revealing the first ’preview image’ of the new car, Schreyer enthused, ’Kia has given me the opportunity to shape its whole brand design and character. Seldom does a designer have such a clean sheet to work with. We started this exciting journey with the Kia ex_cee’d cabrio concept at the Geneva Show back in March, and at Frankfurt I’m sure Kia will surprise the entire automotive world when people see our new sports coupe concept in the metal.’ — KCV4 Mojave concept pick-up truck.
Schreyer was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate in recognition of his contribution to automotive design by the Royal College of Art (RCA), the UK’s pre-eminent school of art and design. The 53-year old Bavarian studied transportation design at the RCA in 1979/80 and worked at Audi and Volkswagen for the next 25 years, producing designs for vehicles such as the Audi TT and the new VW Beetle. He was appointed to his newly created role at Kia Motors in September 2006. — Hyundai's new Tiburon Coupe.
UPDATE on 14/08:
Kia Motors Corporation has released a second ’preview image’ of the concept car it will unveil for the first time at the Frankfurt International Motor Show on 11 September. Shown in profile, the svelte Sports Coupe Concept reveals classic lines coupled with a lengthened cabin design that can accommodate four adults in comfort.Designed in Europe, under the guidance of Kia’s Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer, the all-new 2+2 Sports Coupe Concept, whose name remains a secret at present, will demonstrate an uncluttered, pure and timeless execution and represents a new design ethos for the Korean automotive company. ’The new Sports Coupe Concept is a clear and emphatic statement that the future of the Kia brand is set to be one that will excite and surprise an entirely new audience of consumers,’ commented Peter Schreyer. ’In making this design departure for Kia it was essential to my thinking that we did not lose sight of the fact that the Kia brand must continue to appeal to customers in the mainstream. It would have been easy to present an extreme supercar at Frankfurt that would attract plenty of attention, but could have no place in Kia’s future. Our Sports Coupe Concept is not simply a flight of fancy. ’I believe this concept car could be a ’landmark’ vehicle in Kia’s history and I wanted it to appeal to the widest possible audience. This design is not the result of self-indulgent design excess. It incorporates a host of elements that will become the new face-of-Kia right across our product range and it is the clearest design statement about the way I want Kia to be seen as we go forwards,’ added Schreyer. — Kia's new Sportage specifications.
