Kia to Introduce a New MPV Concept in Geneva

Mini MPV’s are all the rage in global markets outside North America, and despite a general lack of choice in the US and Canada, have become very popular amongst the brands that sell them. Mazda sells a lot of 5s, a sporty little compact family hauler, and Kia does well with its Rondo, a slightly larger than compact people mover with midsize pretensions. Available with four- or six-cylinder engines it is smooth, powerful and fairly fun to drive, but it’s been around the block for a few years now and could probably use a styling refresh to go along with the brand-wide design update Kia is currently undergoing.

Whether the new MPV concept being introduced next month in Geneva will replace the current Rondo, fill another niche or simply offer up a design exercise that shows would-be consumers where the Kia brand might be headed is anyone’s guess, but the Korean automaker will nevertheless introduce “a great looking MPV”, by its own words. Kia also says its concept will redefine the MPV genre, with a “unique glass roof treatment to create a cool and spacious automotive powerhouse”.

OK, “powerhouse” is probably not a word anyone I know would use to describe a mono-box family hauler, but the only photo we have, from the rear three-quarter, does show an extremely stylish take on “mass transportation”, and a car that simply looks too good and too complete to be merely a concept without any aspirations for production. Truly, if this is the new Rondo, all mini-MPV comers had better watch their backsides because Kia, a brand that has finally figured out the fashion game with the new Soul compact and arguably the current Rio5, will wrestle this market away from the traditional players.

In North America there might only be one rival in the Mazda5, and potentially another in the Chevrolet HHR and Honda Element if you want to stretch the term’s meaning, with the Chrysler PT Cruiser on its way out of production and Chevy Orlando on its way in, but other markets see MPVs like the Chevrolet/Opel Meriva and Zafira, Citroën Xsara Picasso, Honda Stream, Fiat Multipla, Ford Focus C-MAX, Honda FR-V, Logan MCV, Nissan Note, Peugeot 1007, Renault Modus, Kangoo and Grand Scenic, Toyota WISH, Volkswagen Golf Plus and Touran and others fighting it out in a hotly contested segment, as popular amongst small families as with taxi companies.

The Rondo is a global player too, and this new Kia concept, Rondo or not, could seriously tip the balance of power in the Korean company’s favor if the front end looks anywhere near as good as its backside and rear profile, the likelihood of which we’re fairly confident Kia got right. Check these pages after March 3rd for an update.