Kia recently gave the world a look at its vision for a small, sporty crossover, the Trail'ster concept. At next month's Geneva Motor Show, it's stretching things out, showing a wagon that looks to be equally sporty and adventurous. The four-seat Sportspace concept wears sporty styling without sacrificing the long-distance comfort its grand touring estate platform is designed for.
Designed at Kia's Frankfurt design studio under the direction of European design chief Gregory Guillaume, the Sportspace features what the automaker calls a "unique and captivating body shape." Despite its four-door wagon length, the Sportspace has the presence of a smaller, sportier car thanks to its sloping roof, curvaceous rear and short rear overhang. It's a style that fills the space between full-blown station wagon and fastback sports sedan.
"We set out to design a car that is a totally new breed of grand tourer – one for active people who need reasonable cargo space on the weekend, but don’t want to compromise moving around in style, comfort and with an element of sportiness,” explains Guillaume.
The interior includes a widescreen infotainment display, a digital instrument panel, a prominent center console that appears like it might separate the rear two seats as well as the front seats, and carbon fiber accents. We wouldn't be too surprised to see some type of rear entertainment screen mounted to that center console.
Kia is withholding information beyond those described and visible details until the Geneva debut. Its mention of sustainability and economy suggests that it may continue its trend of hybrid-powered concepts. If it is a hybrid, the snowy photos suggest that it will be an AWD hybrid, perhaps derived from the e-AWD Kia showed on the the Trail'ster.
We look forward to getting more details in Geneva. Kia will hold its press conference on March 3, the first day of the show.
Source: Kia
