Kia Design Boss Wants FR-S Competitor
Kia’s chief designer at its American design center wants to bring an affordable coupe to the U.S. market, to fight against the likes of the Scion FR-S and the Mazda MX-5 Miata.
“We’d definitely make one if we had my way,” Tom Kearns, the head of Kia’s California design center told AutoCar. “I think we should do a coupé over a convertible. A cabrio would be fun, but an affordable coupé in the U.S. would prove more popular.”
SEE ALSO: Kia GT Concept Info
A Kia representative also confirmed to AutoGuide some time ago that the brand would be bringing out some type of sports car. Details are still hazy, but the brand has been hinting at its sports car future with some recent concepts.
SEE ALSO: Kia Track’ster Concept Info
In 2011, Kia showed off the GT Concpet, which used rear-wheel drive and a 3.3-liter turbocharged V6 to make 395-hp and 394 lb-ft of torque. Similarly, at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show, Kia brought the Track’ster concept, a small hot hatch powered by a 250 hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
[Source: Autocar]
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Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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Too bad The Kee is no longer on the todo list... much better than the other platforms named here.