Spy Shots: Kia mystery box spotted testing

Every once in a while, a set of spy photos comes through that makes us stare at our computer screens like we're looking for the secret image inside of a Magic Eye stereogram picture. This is one of those cases, as we simply aren't sure what to make of this diminutive Kia prototype.

Our best guess is that this is a new kei car for the Japanese market, as its uber-boxy dimensions and teeny-tiny wheels are fitting of the small MPVs that roam the streets of Japan. However, because we can't get a good feeling for how big this car actually is, there's a chance that Kia could be working on a sub-Soul two-box. But from where we sit, those wheels simply way look too small for consumption here in the United States (imagine hitting a Detroit-spec pothole with those tiny tires), so we're thinking that whatever this prototype blossoms into, we likely won't see it on our shores.

Our shooters note that the rear doors differ from side-to-side, with the left side offering a conventional front-hinged door and the right side opting for a slider, giving it an MPV-like quality. Either way, this mystery box looks rather far along in development, so we'd expect to see it in production sooner rather than later, perhaps with a 2013 model year.

Have a look at the spy shots in our high-res gallery below, and wager your best guess as to what's lurking under the camouflage in Comments.

[Source: CarPix]