Kia is
leaning heavily on the SUV movement, releasing model after model at breakneck
pace. Its next offering, a compact B-segment crossover due to be revealed later
this year, has been previewed by this, the SP Signature concept in its home
market of Korea.
If the SP name sounds familiar, that’s because the
Signature is an evolution of the SP Concept shown in India last year.
Originally, the production version was supposed to launch the Kia brand in the
South Asian country this year as a rival to the Hyundai Creta, but evidently
something has changed along the way and the car is now slated to go on sale
globally.
The Signature may be a more production-ready
preview, but the rugged design stays faithful to the original show car. The
beefy front end, with its large, closed-off “tiger nose” grille joined to a
slim light strip at the top and larger main lamps below it, is practically
identical to the SP. The wraparound windscreen design, contrasting roof, broad
two-piece tail lights and fake twin tailpipes are also carried over.
This being less of a flight of fancy than the
previous concept, the Signature ditches a few of the fantastical design cues
like the distinctive roof-mounted light bar and hidden door handles. Unlike the
earlier SP, the Signature does not have a visible interior, but expect the
production version to be closer to the latest Kia models like the Rio, ditching
the Mercedes-style flatscreen display panel.
Now, doubtless many of you will remember that Kia
already has a product in that segment, called the Stonic. That may be true, but
the Stonic is more of a Euro-centric vehicle, with a softer, more car-like
design. It stands to reason that Kia is following the approach it took for the
C-segment market, selling the Ceed in Europe and the Cerato in the rest of the
world.
The production version is expected
to be based on the Rio and should be offered with some of the same engines.
These include a 1.25 and 1.4 litre naturally-aspirated petrol engines, a 1.0
litre turbo petrol and a 1.6 litre turbodiesel.
