TT In Its Sights - Kia to Make Sports Roadster

What would you think if we told you that Kia was planning to build a serioussports car to rival the likes of the Audi TT? Would you laugh and shake your head? Would you question the sanity of Kia’s upper management? As unlikely as it might seem, according to British weekly magazine Auto Express, Kia could have a concept version of this vehicle ready as soon as September to display at this year’s Frankfurt Auto Show.

The magazine reports that Kia has intents of dethroning the new TT with the new car, and to expect something similar in size, performance and power. Under its hood, the car will be powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four that drives either the front, or, surprisingly, all four wheels. What’s more is that the insider who spoke to Auto Express said that the car will be designed by Kia’s new design chief, Peter Schreyer, who, incidentally helped design the original Audi TT, amongst other cars, and the various cee’d conceptvehicles. Add to that the project code name “snowflake”, which is very close to the original TT’s codename, “raindrop”, showing just how intent Kia is on having a TT of its own.

The source also said that the car would hit production no later than 2009 after its concept debut in Geneva, though it wasn’t mentioned if this upcoming sports car would be an international effort, something exclusive to Europe, or its Asian home market.

Although Kia’s sportiest car is currently the Rio5, or maybe the Spectra5 (neither of which is particularly sporty when compared to a TT), the brand had a brush with a proper sports car in the mid ’90s. For its home market, Kia produced a licensed copy of the Lotus Elan, a front-wheel drive, Miata-sized roadster, between1996 and 1997. Besides exchanging the original 1.6-liter turbocharged Isuzu-sourced engine for a 151-horsepower 1.8-liter engine of its own, Kia left just about everything else as is. Having a performance roadster in its product portfolio would certainly help Kia to differentiate itself from parent company Hyundai, as the sportier brand. Hyundai, with its continued move upmarket, seems to be re-branding itself towards luxury.

Meanwhile, Kia has just announced something that we know for sure will arrive in North America; the production version of the Soul concept vehicle. If you can’t remember it, it’s the little upright and boxy subcompact vehicle that featured rear-hinged doors and a profile that resembled the Scion xB and Dodge Hornet, with a longer nose. The car should arrive in about two years (early 2008), right on schedule to do battle with the new Ford “B” segment subcompact and Chrysler’s upcoming Chinese-built vehicle. Of course, it’ll have to contend with the likes of Toyota’s Yaris, Honda’s Fit, and many others too, but with a high level of specification, an excellent warranty and an attractive price point, it’s sure to win its fair share of sales.