Geneva 2009: Kia No 3 concept cooler than expected
by Sam Abuelsamid on Mar 4th 2009 at 5:21PM 
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Kia No 3 concept
After all the teaser shots of the Kia No 3 concept, we finally got to see it in the metal out on the floor of the Geneva Motor Show today. In its press materials, Kia describes this as a new five-seat MPV, although we're personally a bit dubious of that description. In Europe there are taller versions of various hatchbacks that fit the description of an MPV such as the Ford C-Max and VW Golf Plus. The closest we have in the U.S. is the Mazda5, and the No 3 concept doesn't seem to fit with any of those.
Aside from its odd categorization, the No 3 is quite an attractive piece. It's a five-door hatchback close in overall size to the Honda Fit but with a 4.5-inch longer wheelbase. The overall proportions of the No 3 are handsome with short overhangs and reasonably large areas of glass. If the No 3 does make it to production (hopefully with a different name), it will likely loose a big chunk of that glass, namely the roof. The diagonal windshield header on the concept is is reiterated in the random diagonal ribs of the seat upholstery. Even without its clever concept trappings, we hope to see the No 3 get a green light for production.
Gallery: Geneva 2009: Kia No 3
Gallery: Kia No 3 concept
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Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Hike15 5:24PM (3/04/2009)
wheres the kia?
all i see is a so called "pimped" honda fit with new lights and paint,,,
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Gomi 5:42PM (3/04/2009)
Time to get some glasses, my friend.
jsjs 1:34AM (3/05/2009)
Have you seen Honda designs lately (not that they were ever that great)?
Honda could only hope to design an MPV that looks this good (well, as good as an MVP can get).
wolverinejoe80 8:20AM (3/05/2009)
seriously, i'm so sick of people saying it's a copy of this and that.
this looks nothing like Fit.
BigWill 5:26PM (3/04/2009)
There's a video posted at YouTube of the No. 3 driving around a parking garage. It looks good on the "road."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXK8QdNpVzc
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Mike P. 5:50PM (3/04/2009)
Gee, you'd think they'd dub a better sounding engine over that video, or at least add some music to drown it out. It sounds like a wheezy lawnmower.
Anyways, I like how it looks and if the production number (ha, ha) is reflects the concept, I might seriously consider this over the Fit. Especially since a $1.5-2k undercut in price is quite a lot for a car that's only $16k.
Michael 5:27PM (3/04/2009)
... I'd drive that.
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jsb 5:28PM (3/04/2009)
Isn't this redundant with the KIA Soul in the product line already?
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Taglane 5:37PM (3/04/2009)
Ummm lemme guess. NO, seeing as how they're in two different categories and one is a Concept and the other is in Production.
hyundaifans.com 6:17PM (3/04/2009)
Looks nothing like the Soul. I actually prefer this to the ix-onic concept.
cdwrx 5:49PM (3/04/2009)
That's a very good looking car for its niche. The seats are quite Studio 54, but otherwise, very cool.
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gerrrg 6:14PM (3/04/2009)
They pushed the glass all the way up front, but the seating is still the same distance away from the front of the car. Increasing the wheelbase didn't affect the size of the interior, more than it affected the LOOK of the exterior.
Methinks Kia is all about appearance and little substance...
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P.V. 6:38PM (3/04/2009)
Cooler than expected? WOW! That's an accomplishment, given how cool it seemed when it came out in teasers (no sarcasm intended).
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luv_my_car 6:43PM (3/04/2009)
Thats one nice lukin kia. DAMN.
With these kind of designs, deals and warranties, its hard not to buy one of these. Great job Kia.
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Jason 6:50PM (3/04/2009)
Whose headlights will win the race to the windshield?
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DasBoese 9:49PM (3/04/2009)
There's also a class of mini-MPVs based on B-segment cars in Europe, like the Ford Fusion or Skoda Roomster.
The car looks like it could fit into that category.
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ZeuZ 3:30AM (3/05/2009)
Look for Opel/Vauxhall Meriva, Nissan Note, Renault Modus, Ford Fusion, FIAT Idea, Lancia Musa and, why not, Volkswagen Golf Plus and you will find the competitiors for this new KIA.
wolverinejoe80 8:23AM (3/05/2009)
hats off to Kia. it's the fastest growing car company. and their recent offerings are cool.
if they make this then they will have a trifecta of 'cool'. forte-soul-no.3
and hope they really do make the Coupe concept.
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RedSiBaron 8:33AM (3/05/2009)
hmm, it had me all the way until the seats...they just arent working with the rest of the language in this design...i dont understand the seats...its stark contrast but aside from that, bleh...the rest of the design is really nice though...wonder how it will translate into production...
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Ryan 1:31PM (3/05/2009)
Any chance I can get the name of the color/finish on that car???
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