Spy Shots: First snapshots of Kia Forte Coupe emerge
The folks over at Kia World have snagged what appear to be the very first shots of Kia's 2010 Forte/Spectra coupe. Internally dubbed "XK" by the Korean automaker, the rakish two-door was presaged by the KOUP concept that debuted at last year's New York Auto Show.From what is shown here, it looks like the Honda Civic coupe-fighter is well on its way toward production, and it is expected to arrive carrying a pair of four-cylinder engines (2.0-liter and 2.4-liters, respectively). A higher-performance 2.0-liter turbo engine is also rumored, as well as a 1.6-liter diesel engine for Kia's Korean home market.
The production Forte/Spectra coupe could go on sale in selected markets as soon as later this year, but Kia isn't saying when or where it plans to debut the car. Thanks for the tip, Miha!
[Source: Kia World]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
James 11:39AM (2/05/2009)
I like the "extended" shape of the rear quarter window and "kink"...very original!!
Kia is making huge strides lately with the Soul, Forte and the next gen Sorento...
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gerrrg 12:09PM (2/05/2009)
Doesn't that rear shape look an awful lot like the Mitsubishi Eclipse?
Sorry, but the rear end of the Soul is drop dead UGLY.
Quattroporte 11:39AM (2/05/2009)
I never thought I would think this about a Kia, but, if they bring it to the US with a Lotus engineered suspension, why not?
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freckles 11:49AM (2/05/2009)
long gone are the days of the Sephia!
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osunick 11:49AM (2/05/2009)
Kia's design boss is Peter Schreyer who led Audi design in the late 90's and early 2000's- you can see his influence in the new Soul and I imagine this design will also turn out to be very clean and germanic (in sharp contrast to Walter da'Silva's current work for VW/Audi).
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Flashpoint 11:50AM (2/05/2009)
Hyundai/Kia are making aggressive strides. I woulda laughed at a Hyundai 2 years ago. Now they have the "Assurance program" and the Genesis and a group of competant cars.
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len simpson 11:53AM (2/05/2009)
Could anyone point me to the deep background of concept cars? Who draws? who builds? how are one off body parts fabricated? etc etc
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Nellydesign 12:51PM (2/05/2009)
Designers design them (regular working stiffs). Usually who ever comes up with the best theme in the initial stages will carry it through to the end. They are then usually built by coachbuilders, or specialized shops that cater to the custom and concept car business. Though sometimes auto companies will handle the fabrication in-house. One off parts are made using a lot of computer help. Computer models are made of EVERYTHING and then they are fabricated. Body panels are made out of fiberglass and laid up in negative molds cnc milled into foam. Smaller bits and interior pieces are milled out of materials like metal or wood and sometimes rapid prototyped using specialized rapid protoyping machines which are very cool.
CarNut 11:57AM (2/05/2009)
Funny, as I looked at the 3rd picture of the rear side end of the car, I thought...wow, that reminds me of a VW Corrado. If they can pull of the shape and not screw up the front/rear end, they'll have a great looking car on their hands. And a 2.0 turbo? Hell yeah =)
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Rick 12:27PM (2/05/2009)
Too long to be a coupe, looks odd. The 4 door looks hot though.
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ryan 12:31PM (2/05/2009)
our kia training rep said that this should be coming later this year, for corroborative evidence.
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caddy-v 12:59PM (2/05/2009)
And they still depreciate faster than fartstink in a 100 mph wind.
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chconline 1:10PM (2/05/2009)
1. Person buys a Kia.
2. Waits five years.
3. *Doubles car price when you fill up the gas tank*
Sorry I had to :P
tanooki2003 3:55PM (2/05/2009)
it won't depreciate as fast as GM's or Chrysler's stuff.
HJC 1:17PM (2/05/2009)
i read awhile ago that this will have a Direct Injection turbo I4 with 260hp and FWD. Now, don't you think this DI engine would be better suited for the RWD Genesis coupe? Kia and Hyundai are the same company right? Someone mixed up those engines!
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BigWill 12:49PM (2/06/2009)
Hyundai intentionally detuned the turbo 4 in the Genesis Coupe because at full strength the turbo is awfully close to the output of the 3.8 V6. So Hyundai detunes the turbo and is "strongly encouraging" the tuner aftermarket to reboost it. In the Kia Koup concept there was zero chance the 3.8 V6 was going in there, so the 290 hp DI turbo was the only high output option.
P.V. 7:31PM (2/05/2009)
Wow. That is a REALLY nice looking compact coupe. Way to go, and keep it up! I especially like those engine choices; in addition, I hope the official sedan interior also makes it to the coupe (as it looks class-leading).
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fernan 8:54PM (2/05/2009)
I thought it looked cool until i saw it in person, cheapest looking car Ive ever seen
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RockStoneSteel 9:25PM (2/05/2009)
This 2 door coupe looks more like a 3 door hatch. That appears to be the edge of the hatch running up the back edge. Making it a 3 door hatch would be a wonderful thing. I'm so disappointed the 2 door Civic is a coupe with a tiny trunk rather than a more useful hatch. Honda could have maintained nearly the exact same lines and given it a hatch instead of the trunk lid. Same goes for the new Accord coupe and Altima coupe also.
This spy shot makes the Forte look a bit slab slided with tiny tires. However, after seeing the 4 door sedan, I'm confident they will probably do right by this 2 door version. I am so glad Kia is bringing this 2 door to the market and I will seriously consider this for a commuter car. Unfortunately, I haven't heard the details of the transmission or suspension. If they plant their ancient 4 speed auto in this or put a stupid lame torsion beam suspension on it, I won't be interested at all. That's my big gripe with the Soul is that weak suspension. But if Kia does this vehicle right, they will have a big winner on their hands.
I often hear of an effort to label Kia as the "sporty" brand of Hyundai. I don't know if that is the actual image they are shooting for, but their recent product offerings, as fine as they may be, aren't geared in that direction. They give Hyundai the turbo Genesis coupe with optional V6 and stick Kia with the smaller 4 cylinder coupe. Either way, I think the market is ready for both offerings and they will sell fantastic. My only disappointment is the aforementioned Kia Soul with the cheap suspension.
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joruff1 11:04AM (2/07/2009)
You idiots...the shape of the rear window and the back look weird because it's a car beside it screwing with it's shape...and this car WILL be a huge hit! It already looks better than the civic coupe and I haven't even seen it uncovered! Kia is finally becoming a decent car company! KUDOS TO KIA!
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