Yahoo Autos 2019 Kia GT: A Serious, RWD Sports Sedan from Kia
What It Is: A serious four-door sports sedan from the people who bring you the hamster-piloted Soul.
Why It Matters: This will be Kia’s first credible attempt at reaching a buyer with sporting aspirations and a high-end ZIP code.
Platform: The GT, or whatever Kia ends up naming this sports sedan, will ride on a new rear-drive platform. Hyundai will also use this parts set for its own purposes, no doubt under its newly elevated Genesis subbrand, but the hardware will debut as a Kia.
Powertrain: Aiming directly at its BMW 3-series bogey, Kia will offer the GT in four- and six-cylinder variants. We expect that the sportiest model will be powered by a turbocharged 3.3-liter V-6 making roughly 340 horsepower. The entry-level sedan will pack a cranked-up version of the company’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. To bolster the car’s sporting credibility, it will be offered with a manual transmission as well as the expected automatic.
Competition: Audi A4, BMW 3-series, Cadillac ATS, Infiniti Q50, Jaguar XE, Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-class, Volvo S60, or used examples of those cars.
What Might Go Wrong: Against entrenched competition, it’d better be fabulous. And remember when Hyundai said the Veloster would be the reincarnation of the Honda CRX? Yeah, something like that could happen.
Estimated Arrival and Price: The GT should arrive in 2018. As for price, take the stickers of the 3-series models, subtract the Kia discount, and you get about $35,000 to $43,000 in today’s dollars.
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