Photo: Kia
We can't make a clear idea about what's happening inside Kia's design studio, but they got our attention right from the start with the SPORTSPACE concept. And now they're back at it.
This time around, Kia presented the Novo concept at the 2015 Seoul Motor Show. Frankly put, they took a Latin-inspired name (meaning refreshed, improved) and assigned it to a Korean prototype.
Novo recommends itself as a fastback and was conceived at Kia's Namyang design center in South Korea, while engineers adapted Kia's C-segment global platform (the one underpinning the Cerato/Forte) to fit the prototype's coupé-ish curves.
Kia says the concept is intended for urban areas although we wouldn't mind seeing the Novo cruising on the highway, showing off its muscular physique, slim laser headlights and sleek taillights. The prototype was blessed with a pair of suicide doors with retractable handles and there's something about that rear end making me think about the Challenger SRT Hellcat.
However, upon hearing what Kia had to say in terms of what will reside under the hood, I kind of cooled down a bit. We're talking about a 1.6-liter T-GDI (turbo gasoline direct injection) teamed-up with a seven-speed DCT gearbox sending the engine's capital to the front wheels. Kia wouldn't give away any figures on the engine's potential but they mention "decisive, sporty performance and impressive fuel economy."
On the inside, minimalism is the key word for the Kia Novo. The Koreans let their minds roam in imagination land, so they came up with a 3D hologram display assisted by a 'blind control' feature: a touchpad located near the steering wheel allowing the driver to use different functions without taking his or her eyes off the road.
We would have liked to see some specs, but that won't happen for now, so we'll just settle for the photo gallery.
Novo recommends itself as a fastback and was conceived at Kia's Namyang design center in South Korea, while engineers adapted Kia's C-segment global platform (the one underpinning the Cerato/Forte) to fit the prototype's coupé-ish curves.
Kia says the concept is intended for urban areas although we wouldn't mind seeing the Novo cruising on the highway, showing off its muscular physique, slim laser headlights and sleek taillights. The prototype was blessed with a pair of suicide doors with retractable handles and there's something about that rear end making me think about the Challenger SRT Hellcat.
However, upon hearing what Kia had to say in terms of what will reside under the hood, I kind of cooled down a bit. We're talking about a 1.6-liter T-GDI (turbo gasoline direct injection) teamed-up with a seven-speed DCT gearbox sending the engine's capital to the front wheels. Kia wouldn't give away any figures on the engine's potential but they mention "decisive, sporty performance and impressive fuel economy."
On the inside, minimalism is the key word for the Kia Novo. The Koreans let their minds roam in imagination land, so they came up with a 3D hologram display assisted by a 'blind control' feature: a touchpad located near the steering wheel allowing the driver to use different functions without taking his or her eyes off the road.
We would have liked to see some specs, but that won't happen for now, so we'll just settle for the photo gallery.
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