January8
Kia today unveiled the all-new Kia Kue crossover concept vehicle at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The Kia Kue “employs a different approach to the crossover utility vehicle segment by taking elements of what makes a CUV to a new level, namely performance,” the company said. “Kue is designed first and foremost as a driver’s vehicle. While possessing SUV characteristics and capabilities, the Kia Kue focuses more on giving the driver an exhilarating driving experience on the way to the home improvement center than on how much it can haul.”
Fitted with a 400-horsepower, DOHC, supercharged 4.6-liter V8 that twists out 400 lb-ft of torque, Kue aims to be a true performance crossover. The Kia Kue has a monocoque platform that sits on 22-inch wheels with a wheelbase of more than 114 inches, packaged in an overall length of 186 inches. Though purely a concept, the Kia Kue does hint at future styling directions for the company.
“We’ve instilled confidence and integrity in our consumer base with vehicles that provide value, quality and safety,” said Len Hunt, executive vice president and COO of KMA. “Kue embodies the next phase of our brand evolution, which will instill pride and passion in our customers through great design.” Gallery after the jump…
Nice striking design from Kia, I love it!
i feel terrible for liking this car. it’s a kia!
And I thought my FX35 had rear visibility problems!
Where’d they get the supercharged 400 hp 4.6L V8 engine?
Sounds like Ford was robbed.
Not only that, but they out three-bar-ed Ford’s grill, by four times!
Distinctive. Kia must have stolen a very talented designer from another automaker. Their latest designs show a new design theme for the company.
More “Urinal” rear ends from the Far East.
Kohler doing cars now??
Kia Kue?
that’s just fun to say.
Hmmm…I ain’t buyin’ it. Maybe it’s because I was just looking at the Chevy Volt, which I think is a really great looking car, but this KIA just doesn’t do it for me. It looks like it should have been a small coupe, but they stretched it and jacked it up on huge tires, which shows the undercarriage (my dad would have said that it looks like its underwear are showing).
WHAT, who put the Kia badging on the Ford Reflex and put the Ford 4.6 in. This is crap. If I were Mark Fields I would be on the phone with a lawyer.
1) I read Kia has an Ex-Audi designer( hired him last Summer?).
2) The V8 is a Hyundai deal. They worked w/ Mitsu for awhile, then Hyundai tweaked it, and will put the smae V8 in their upcoming RWD 30-35K MSRP RWD sedan, that is supposed to be out in 08?
3) This is not a refl3x rip off. Sorry, Similar shape, but the refl3x had the weird doors, etc, and was a hybrid.
4) I agree witht he one psoter who said that this looks more like it should be a small coupe! I was poosted on the net, on edmudns future car forum awhile ago, and it looked similar to this, and was supposed the 3 door, FWD sporty car Kia has been rumored to have by 2009.
This Should be made into a Scion tC competitor, make it say compact sized(like the new Lancer coming out), drop in the Optima I-4 of 161HP, 5 speed automanual, and sell it for 18-19K.
Noooooo….. they build more CUV/SUV’s?
(after seeing tC’s nearly 80,000 units sold last year)….whatever.
PS: How many CUV’s/SUV’s does Kia need? They have the Sportage, the Sorento, and another thread said they are building that weird looking Soul ….plus 2 minivans(long and short wheel bases, soon).. and what, 3 cars?
Whatever.
It does sort of look like the refl3x(Ford should have built that).
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/10/28/026879.html
This says small cars outsold SUV’s (up to this date)…. last year…. and what does Kia do? Build more CUV/SUV like stuff? Hunh?
I was on edmunds (think Dec 7th?) 2006, for Len Hunt’s 1 hour Q&A(Kia head guy in USA).
I asked him about 4 times about ” where’s the sporty car like Tiburon, or the Pro-C’eed, to compete with Scion tC”…. he ignored that(I also mentioned this story about small cars outselling suvs and cuvs, and he ignored it, saying hatches like the Rio 5 don’t sell?-something like that…
Anyhow, he thinks CUV’s/SUV’s are still the future?
right… lol…
this was the company, that a year aog(along with hyundai) said they would sell a mild hybrid Accent and rio, in Sept of 06, and would be the least expensive hybrid out there( about 45 MPG? somewhere in there).
Anyhow…. they decided nto release it as it was a “money loser”(this sort of sounds like Big 3 talk now, lol).
Anyhow, this should be made into a compact car, 200HP tops, I-4. They can do it with GEMA engines, w/o turbo, if they wanted to ( or at lesat 175HP GEMA engines).
make it Spectra0sized, but look sort of like this.
One guy said ” Hyundai/Kia tend not to listen very well”… people want a smaller Truck, not SUV/CUV…Whatever.
I like Kia but why do they need so many “suvs”, and minivans, and so few cars? they trying to be a truck-only division and Hyundai sell cars?
Sorry about posting the link above( can’t do this, can we?)…. If not supposed ot post links, SORRY, won’t happen again.
take care/not offense.
Nice clean balanced design but it’s a Kia…
first korean thing thats nice
Whoa I missed this one. This is a really nice design. Good job Kia.