The Kia SP Concept that celebrated its world
premiere at Auto Expo 2018 and South Korean debut at the 2018 Busan Motor Show
has reached China now. There, it will have its local debut at the 2018
Guangzhou Motor Show that will open on the 16th of this month.
The Kia SP Concept will spawn a Hyundai Creta rival
that will go on sale in India in the second half of 2019. The front-end of the
concept features the signature Tiger Nose grille, sleek headlamps, a faux
silver skid plate and vertically-positioned fog lamps flanking the air vents.
Highlights of the side profile include a rising beltline, stylish five-spoke
alloy wheels, ORVMs with dynamic turn indicators, flush door handles and
blacked-out A- and B-pillars.
At the rear, the Kia SP Concept features a chrome
applique on the tailgate that connects the wraparound tail lamps. Other talking
points of the posterior include a faux skid plate and silver accents. The air
outlets below the tail lamps lend a decidedly sporty touch to the rear-end.
The interior of the Kia SP Concept features a
two-spoke multifunction steering wheel, an all-digital instrument console, a
touchscreen infotainment unit, multicolour ambient lighting in the door panels,
a touch-sensitive climate control panel, a drive mode selector and an electric
parking brake.
The production-spec Kia SP Concept is expected to
mirror the aesthetics of the design study to a great extent. The new model,
which could be launched as the Kia Trazor, will be underpinned by the same
platform that will be used for the next-gen Hyundai Creta. The new-age platform
will be sufficiently flexible to be used for a seven-seat model, and so, the
company may launch a three-row version of this SUV if demand persists.
The yet-to-be-named Kia SUV will be powered by a new
1.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine that will output 115 hp of maximum power,
and a 1.0-litre T-GDI turbo-petrol motor that produces a maximum power of 118
hp. An AWD system is unlikely to be offered in our market.
