Kia pulled the wraps off the Sportspace concept in an exclusive preview to Autocar
Shooting Brake concept by Korean car maker hints at future design direction
This is the new Kia Sportspace concept car, which is set to be unveiled at next month’s Geneva motor show.
Penned at Kia’s Frankfurt design studio, the four-seater shooting brake concept features styling cues that could hint at the Korean car firm’s design direction for the new Optima estate, due later this year.
The Sportspace features ‘ice cube’ quad headlights, distinctive bonnet bulges and the company’s latest ‘tiger nose’ design shutter grille. Kia describes a ‘latin’ flavour to the rear, with the D-pillar pushed forwards compared with other shooting brakes.
Power comes from a derivative of Kia’s T-hybrid 1.7-litre diesel-electric hybrid powertrain, first showcased at last year’s Paris motor show. It’s mated to a sequential automatic shift-by-wire transmission, with steering wheel paddle shifts.
The interior is described as “a pure design study with an essence for future projects”. Immediately apparent inside are the one-piece leather seats, raised centre console, rearview mirror camera, trim finished in gloss leather and silver woven fabric with a brushed aluminium look.
A large rectangular touchscreen infotainment system dominates the dashboard, with media, navigation, email, calendar and social media apps. The rear armrest has slots for passengers to plug in their tablet devices, while chrome-finished roller balls are built into the boot floor space to assist with luggage movement.
Gregory Guillaume, Kia’s chief designer Europe, says “Looking at this car, it’s not the type of show car that looks like it’s not going to make it to a showroom. It looks like a very realistic proposal.”
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