Seoul Motor Show: Kia reveals KND-4 concept
click the above image to view a gallery of the Kia KND-4 Concept
Today at the Seoul Motor Show, Kia unveiled the KND-4 SUV concept that will influence the design of the automaker's future products.
As with any concept, it's more of a styling exercise than a production-bound vehicle, with all the far-reaching elements one would expect. The three-door SUV gets a very Euro-Accord/TSX-like snout, complete with wrap around headlamps and pointy grille. The high beltline and C-pillar give it a compact appearance, while the rear gets a starkly upright hatch.
Inside, you'll find your standard pseudo-science fiction trappings, including a display screen sporting "Active-Matrix, Organic Light Emitting Diodes" or AMOLEDs, along with a (not so far out there) Blu-ray DVD-equipped entertainment system.
Power comes from a 2.2-liter diesel that sends power to all four wheels via Kia's Active Torque Transfer system that shuffles power to the wheels afforded with the best traction.
You can read more about the KND-4 in the press release after the jump, along with a few more images of the concept.
[Source: Kia]
Gallery: Kia KND-4 Concept
PRESS RELEASE:
SEOUL - April 5, 2007: Kia Motors Corporation is staging the world premiere of its all-new KND-4 concept car today (Thursday) at the Seoul International Motor Show. Designed to reassert Kia's credentials as a leading brand in the 4x4 and RV vehicle sectors, the new SUV concept car projects a dynamic, powerful character and exudes a strong sense of individuality. Although clearly a 'concept car,' the Luminous Green, three-door, 4466mm-long KND-4 gives a bold hint at how future Kia compact SUV models might look.
This is the first Kia vehicle to demonstrate the company's renewed passion for 'Designology' (Design & Technology) - its ongoing commitment to making automobiles that are both more stylish and technologically advanced.
"The KND-4 is an exciting vehicle which showcases Kia's increasingly sophisticated styling and advanced technologies that will give our future products an even stronger and more distinctive road presence," commented Mr Yong-Hwan Kim, Senior Executive Vice President and COO of Kia Motors Corporation. "Over time, elements of this concept SUV will evolve into our next-generation lineup, ensuring the continued global popularity of our already competitive 4x4 models."
The exterior styling of KND-4 is designed to appeal to consumers who crave freedom and an active lifestyle, while removing the traditional boundaries between urban and rural vehicles to create an SUV that looks great in any location. The sleek, rounded nose features LED headlights, while flared wheelarches wrap around large diameter 20-inch wheels and 245/40 R20 low-profile tyres, which appear to bulge out of the vehicle's form.
The pronounced shoulder line, glass-house profile and sweeping C-pillar give a dynamic flare to KND-4. The full-width rear screen emphasises the interior volume and provides a simple contrast to the complex styling of the LED rear lamp clusters. Short overhangs and a high ground clearance ensure excellent off-road ability.
Designed to seat four people in individual seats, the KND-4's interior is 'future-oriented' with floor, dashboard and door trim panels in metallic finish, highlighted by indirect lighting that reflects in this metallic material and creates an exciting cabin ambience.
The interior is equipped with the most advanced IT technology available to present the driver with information from within and from outside the vehicle. Dominating the centre stack is a next generation AMOLED (Active-Matrix, Organic Light Emitting Diode) display screen which features an ultra-thin screen, ultra-wide viewing angle and ultra-high contrast.
Controlled by multi-function buttons on the steering wheel, the KND-4 offers the driver both Bluetooth and Blu-ray (high density optical disc) technologies, plus a built-in hard disc for the audio player. Blu-ray can store 10 times the information of a regular DVD.
KND-4 is powered by a 2.2-litre VGT diesel engine driving all four wheels via the latest version of Kia's Active Torque Transfer (ATT) system which, in severely slippery conditions, automatically distributes torque to the wheel or wheels with the best traction.
Conceived and created at the world-class Kia Namyang Design Centre - hence the KND-4 naming - the SUV concept is a clear demonstration that Kia does indeed have 'The Power to Surprise.'
KND-4 Dimensions
Overall length 4466 mm
Wheelbase 2630 mm
Width 1860 mm
Height 1600 mm
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Aetius 8:38AM (4/05/2007)
"The three-door SUV gets a very Euro-Accord/TSX-like snout"
I'd say it looks more like the Euro-Civic.
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Mike 9:12AM (4/05/2007)
YAWN...call me when Kia creates something relevant.
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felipe 9:21AM (4/05/2007)
ok i like the exterior enough not to complain. front looks good.
Kia needs something like this if they are going to create an upscale brand to compete w/Maserati, Ferrari, and Lambo.
what is with the interior, are those neons? or just colored in the photo after the fact? either way too much.
I'd still drive it.
mike- your yawn comments are so over done. find something useful to say or jsut skip it.
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Galley 10:18AM (4/05/2007)
Love the paint color; the car not so much.
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jamey 11:31AM (4/05/2007)
KND? as in the Kids Next Door. Does the 4 signify the used 2X4 technology?
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stradi 12:44PM (4/05/2007)
What's that pedal doing in the steering wheel? Is it a case of Konglish translation of a paddle shifter? Looks good though.
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N T 12:46PM (4/05/2007)
Eh, the front is so honda.
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Bob-omb 3:04PM (4/05/2007)
Kia Kandy! Best name ever.
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Ruth Copinga 12:08PM (4/13/2007)
KIA does not stand behind their product. I owned a 2003 KIA Optima, bought off the showroom floor. Two months ago the KIA was T-Boned by another car, knocked across the road through a fence, hit the fence so hard head on that part of the fence flew across the yard and broke siding off of the house the pieces of the fence hit.
My car rolled three times completely totaling the car, but, not one of the airbags deployed. KIA's answer to this was it wasn't hit hard enough, it didn't hit the fence hard enough and rolling three times and caving the front of top and windshield in was a soft roll over, yet hitting a large pot hole can set deploy the airbags. So, the KIA people are not going to help with the doctor bills. I don't believe there would have been any injuries if the airbags had deployed, because the driver would have been cushioned by them. If your going to buy a KIA you better bring your own airbags, because theirs don't work. The person driving the car has to see a neurosurgeon and an orthopedic surgeon.
Ruth Copinga willows32043@aol.com
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Joan McRobbie 2:50PM (5/21/2007)
I have no idea why, but I'm getting these annoying emails. Would like to notify Kia, but don't see an appropriate email. Perhaps by posting on this blog word will get to them and they can put a stop to this.
KIA PROMO...CONGRATULATIONS
This is to inform you that you have been selected for a cash prize of
£450,000.00 (four hundred and fifty thousand Great British Pounds) and
a brand new KIA Optima Car from International programs held on the
12th of may, 2007 in London, UK.
Description of prize vehicle;
Model: EX V6
Color (exterior/interior): Metallic/ Diamond Silver Leather Seats
The selection process was carried out through random selection in our
computerized email selection system(s) from a database of over 250,000
email addresses drawn from all the continents of the world which you
was selected.To begin the processing of your prize you are to contact
our claims department for more infomation as regards procedures to
claim your prize. Contact Mr. John Anderson By E-mail or Fax
Kia Motors UK. Limited
Mr. John Anderson
Tel: +44-702-403-5343
Fax +44-709-289-2434
Email: contactjohnanderson07@yahoo.co.uk
Contact him by please providing him with your secret pin code x6hryz07
and your Reference Number KIA :5476673384/77.You are also advised to
provide him with the under listed informations as soon as possible:
1.Name in full----- 2.Address----- 3.Nationality------ 4.Age----
5.Sex------ 6.Occupation-------- 7.Phone/Fax------ 8.Present Country----
Reply