Frankfurt 2011: Kia GT concept revealed

Kia has cast aside its Hat Of Reasonableness and has donned the Hat Of Shouty Concept That Might Never Get Made: this is the GT concept.

A four-door, rear-wheel-drive sports saloon with suicide doors and a 390bhp 3.3-litre turbocharged V6 isn't normally on Kia's menu, but hey, it's a motor show. Let's wear our Hat Of Hope.

See more pics of the Kia GT concept car

The GT apparently signals the company's new design direction, and was inspired by "the iconic 1970s GT cars, capable of whisking passengers from Paris to the South of France in effortless style and at high speed." You can almost smell the Brut through the screen.

The design team wanted to ensure this concept doesn't get mistaken for anything other than a RWD car, and so extended the bonnet and gave it ‘powerful rear shoulders'. There's also copper detailing in parts, such as the brake callipers, while inside you're treated to single-piece seats and a ‘driver-centric' layout with a glass instrument panel and fingertip controls on the three-spoke steering wheel.

"It would be a dream to put this into production" says Peter Schreyer, Kia design chief. "It's exactly the kind of car Kia should be making."

Interesting statement. Do you agree?