Kia has revealed their concept for a new large SUV – the Kia Cross GT Concept – ahead of a reveal at the Chicago Auto Show.
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Underpinning the Cross GT are the same underpinnings the impressive Kia GT Concept we saw at Frankfurt in 2011 had, to create a new SUV that is a chunk bigger than the Sorento (213mm longer with a wheelbase 399mm more) but, thanks to a swooping roofline, is 41mm lower.
Power for the Hybrid Cross GT comes from a 3.8 litre petrol V6 and an electric motor which produce around 400bhp and 500lb/ft of torque, driven to all four wheels through an eight-speed auto ‘box.
Much of the design is probably good only for the concept version – like the rear suicide doors and multi-panel panoramic roof – but there’s definitely a feeling that the Cross GT is signalling Kia’s more upmarket direction with a luxurious interior with real wood and lashings of leather (only four seats in the concept) and even a Land Rover-esque clamshell bonnet.
With a design put together by Kia’s designers in Irvine, California, it seems clear that Cross GT (just like the Kia GT) is heading for production in a toned down form, with a target market very much North American.
Kia’s (and, for that matter, Hyundai’s too) Peter Schreyer said:
The debut of the GT in 2011 heralded a new frontier for Kia, both from a design and a business perspective. It beautifully illustrated to the world that the brand was ready to explore the possibility of perhaps one day offering a full-size rear-wheel-drive luxury saloon.
The Cross GT, with its raised stance and large cargo area, allows us to envision the GT in the form of a full-size luxury crossover.
Sadly, Kia will probably not bring the Cross GT to the UK and Europe if (more likely when) it turns in to a production model. But they should.
Salatiso Mdeni says
I have said this before and I will again ‘Schreyer is a god’?