Remember the days when South Korean automakers were far behind their rivals? Well, those times are gone, with Kia-Hyundai's determination to fight the German premium triumvirate pushing the sister companies' cars further and further into luxury territory these days.
Case in point with the Kia test car you can see in the spy video at the bottom of the page. The machine, which follows the footsteps of the GT four-door concept that was dropped back in 2011 and could use the Stinger production name, has been spotted dropping Nurburgring laps this week.
Ironically, so has the 2018 Audi A7 (we showed you a massive image gallery of the 2018 S7's Nordschleife adventure earlier today).
Sure, the GT (Stinger) will probably need a pair of quotes when being called an Audi A7 competitor (think: a considerably more affordable approach), but the two pre-production vehicles testing on the Green Hell virtually at the same time means the point made in the title above stands.
The pre-production Kia model we see here seems to pack plenty of the concept's stunning features, from the swooping roofline to the rear window profile, but the heavily cloaked prototype won't let us zoom in on too many of its details.
However, if we take a look at the dimensions of the concept mentioned above, we'll notice its 4,960 mm length (184.6 inches) would make it an Audi A5 Sportback rival.
While the A5 battle would see the production model riding on the platform of the 2018 Genesis G70 (Genesis is Hyunday's premium sub-brand), the A7 hypothesis would bring a 2017 Genesis G80 base for Kia's sleek proposal.
In the tech department, the GT (Stinger) should pack a 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6, sending its 390 hp and 394 lb-ft (534 Nm) of torque to the rear axle via an 8-speed automatic. The carmaker should also offer less potent engine options and, aside from the obvious combustion-only expectations, the rumor mill also talks about a possible hybrid mixing a 2.0-liter turbo four with an electric motor.
Until we get to see more of the probably-eye-catching GT (Stinger), we're inviting you to also pay attention to the image gallery here, which mixes the spied vehicle with the gorgeous 2011 concept car previewing it.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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