08 Jan 07
What a looker. The new Kue concept car, designed in California and revealed in Detroit, shows what brilliant work Kia is capable of - and that's before new design chief Peter Schreyer's influence has been felt.
The ex-Audi man, who has been in the job for just 18 weeks, has his work cut out if he's to maintain the momentum built up by Kia's international teams of designers, who have recently wowed us with the Cee'd hatchback and the three-door Procee'd concept.
The Kue is a compact coupe-shaped four-seat crossover with a Saab-like 'mouth' at the front, boldly sculpted doors, narrow windows and a high rear end echoing a Dakar desert racer's. There's room under the bonnet for a supercharged V8, driving all four wheels.
Schreyer said: 'Many elements of the Kue give you a hint for the future of Kia vehicles.'
Kia America's chief operating officer, Len Hunt, said that design was extremely important to the development of the company, which had built its reputation on reliability and value: 'Today our owners just don't feel an emotional allegiance to Kia. Our next step will be breakthrough design.'
Schreyer added: 'Passion can't be created from thin air, it has to be genuine. It's already here, in every department. I have never met people more obsessed with building the best cars. But we must demonstrate our passion in a more public way.'
Kia also announced that it is to go into production in 2008 with a version of its rugged Soul concept seen at Detroit a year ago.
