Kia has built a cool shooting brake

It's no easy job to make a big family estate look interesting, so it's a sure sign of Kia's rising stock that the South Korean giant has managed exactly that.

True, this is only a concept for now, but it's a smart concept nonetheless. Called the Kia Sportspace, it made its worldwide debut at this week's Geneva Motor Show.

Though Kia hasn't revealed much in the way of tech details, it's been designed by the firm's Frankfurt studio, and looks like it's based on the Optima saloon, extended over the rear haunches to form a rather attractive shooting brake/estate profile.

And is it just us, or is there more than a whiff of Alfa Romeo 159 about the car's silhouette and rear doors? OK, maybe just us then. Kia says the Sportspace has been designed for "fast and efficient travel with maximum comfort and minimal stress."

There's no word on the ‘fast' element, and the Optima over on these shores is only available with a 134bhp, 1.7-litre diesel. Hardly the stuff to rattle the Italian Alps, but we've got our fingers crossed Kia is about to pull a blinder and fit the 5.0-litre, 420bhp V8 from the K900 saloon. What? It could happen...

There's Kia's familiar ‘tiger nose' grille, a simple, solid shape and lots of space and ‘interior comfort'. Sold? Let us know your thoughts below...