If the auto industry were filled with reality shows, it's safe to say that "Keeping Up With The Kias" wouldn't get great ratings. It's not that there is anything wrong with the automaker's lineup. We actually quite like some of its cars. It's just that Kia doesn't really have any exciting cars. That's all set to change with the debut of the GT, with Autocar scoring some new details on the upcoming four-door coupe. Said details come courtesy of Kia's Peter Schreyer (head of design) and Albert Biermann (head of performance).
The pair were in South Korea to celebrate the opening of a new Hyundai-Kia proving ground. A lot of the talk was confirmation of what we already know, and of the photos our spy photographers captured. Reporters were told that the new GT model-which may not keep that name once it hits production-will indeed be a four-door coupe, with Schreyer confirming as much when asked about the future range-topper's look. "I think that acceptance or demand for two-door models has changed. I think it's more towards four-door coupés or saloons, or coupe-like saloons, if that's what you want to call them." While the design news was a bit of a dud the little bit of info Biermann gave about the GT's performance got us really excited.
For starters, the former BMW M vice president of engineering knows better than to waste a rear-wheel-drive platform. "There is no point producing a rear-wheel-drive car unless you are going to take advantage of the benefits the layout brings," Biermann said. He all but confirmed that a V8 was off the table, noting the advantages of a V6 when it comes to weight, packaging and emissions, not to mention that with turbos and tuning the power gap between the two engines shrinks considerably. Those who zealously track Kia's concepts know that the development of the four-door GT means that the two-door GT4 Stinger concept has been killed off, likely permanently.
But fear not as Biermann confirmed that the spirit of the sporty Stinger would live on in the GT. "There will be a sporty version available and the performance level of that car is not far away from a pure sports car's. It's not a sports car, but it will perform in a very nice way." Those words are encouraging, and we hope to see them backed up by a badass production-spec GT come the 2016 Paris Motor Show.