Kia GT4 Stinger will go on sale

The Kia GT4 Stinger concept has been revealed at the Detroit motor show. It is expected the car will go on sale by 2016, pitched as a Toyota GT86 rival.

Kia Stinger production car revealed - read the full January 2017 story here

The concept “harks back to the days of affordable sports cars”, according to the company. The rear-wheel-drive Stinger coupé uses a 315bhp turbocharged version of Kia’s 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine, driving a six-speed manual gearbox.

The 4.3m-long Stinger, which was created at Kia’s California design studio, is based on a bespoke platform, uses double wishbone suspension and gets transparent A-pillars. As part of the car’s ‘rawness’, it does without carpets. The firm says the Stinger provides a “possible glimpse into Kia’s future”.

Tom Kearns, designer chief at Kia’s American design centre said: "Driving enjoyment was the number one priority in designing the GT4 Stinger. It's a 2+2 sports car that can turn heads as a daily driver while also being right at home on the track.

“It's about purity, simplicity and timelessness. The GT4 Stinger is a throwback to days when driving a car was a visceral experience that wasn't muted by electronic gimmickry.”

Development of the GT4 Stinger was made possible by Kia’s success in the Pirelli World Challenge in a pair of Kia Optimas. Kearns said that its race wins provided “credibility” to the project.

The car is powered by a 315bhp version of Kia’s 2.0-litre T-GDI petrol engine, and is shared with the Optima racers. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.

The transparent A-pillars are said to provide a 270-degree view from the driver’s seat and the glasshouse provides a profile similar to that of the Kia Soul.

Kia says that while there are no plans bring the concept to production, Kia says it has a “history of delivering production vehicles that bear a strong resemblance to the concept that preceded them, and the GT4 Stinger provides a possible and highly provocative glimpse into Kia's future”.

Vice president of Kia in the US Tom Loveless said: "Stinger is a tribute to a day when performance about a direct link between driver and machine, not a list of electronic aids."

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