Haven't We Met Before? Kia's Upcoming Crossover Looks Awfully Familiar

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Kia continues to tease the global market — well, most of it, anyway — with a small crossover it plans to reveal this summer. Our latest glimpse of the upcoming model is this artist’s rendering, which appears to be a rendering of a concept vehicle we’ve already seen.

Suffice it to say the new small Kia will look almost exactly like the SP Signature Concept, a vehicle that, unlike other concepts, looked perfectly ready for production during its reveal earlier this year.

Indeed, the Korean automaker says the model, likely destined for the subcompact CUV segment, is “inspired by the 2019 Kia SP Signature Concept.” That’s putting it mildly. The newly released images seem to show the SP Signature Concept, only with the usual flourishes and exaggerations seen in artist’s renderings.

Following this summer’s reveal, the model goes on sale in Kia’s home county in late 2019, followed by other global markets (minus Europe) sometime after. The usual promises were made. Kia claims “the new vehicle possesses the space and capabilities of a traditional SUV in a compact package,” as if there’s Tahoe-like levels of interior room and Wrangler-like rock-crawling capability. The cabin may indeed be airy, but expect a unibody, all-wheel drive crossover — perhaps positioned on the higher end of the ground clearance scale. Perhaps not.

Will it beat the Mazda CX-3 in a grueling off-road test? Quite possible. (A subcompact CUV torture test is something this writer has always wanted to see; alas, automakers prefer not to see their loaners ruined.)

In another surprise bit of news, Kia claims the upcoming small crossover was built with Millennials in mind! That’s something new. Expect a competitive level of tech content, as that’s what that statement actually means.

You’ve seen the renderings; now, let’s look at the actual SP Signature Concept:

Dead ringers.

Anyway, Kia’s introduction of a new crossover to slot below the Sportage is part of the brand’s effort to reinforce its financial future with a heavier light truck mix. Through April, Kia’s U.S. sales volume rose 6 percent. The sales climb was helped by the addition of the new-for-2019 midsize Telluride.

[Images: Kia Motors]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Ryoku75 Ryoku75 on May 14, 2019

    Isnt the Kia Soul supposed to be a sub compact CUV? Just stick AWD into it and call it a day. Im quite decent at picking cars apart, even newer ones. But I've given up on CSUV things, they're just angry blobs and crates to me.

  • Conundrum Conundrum on May 14, 2019

    Well, after all that marketing hooey, what is this thing really? Kia's version of the Hyundai Kona or Venue? Should be easy to tell from the length and engine options. In other words, another motorized up on stilts hatchback of no particular merit. Will have small monthly payments and blend into the landscape while offering no stand-out features, just the mediocrity of average. Yawn.

  • Kwik_Shift Hyunkia'sis doing what they do best...subverting expectations of quality.
  • MaintenanceCosts People who don't use the parking brake when they walk away from the car deserve to have the car roll into a river.
  • 3-On-The-Tree I’m sure they are good vehicles but you can’t base that on who is buying them. Land Rovers, Bentley’ are bought by Robin Leaches’s “The Rich and Famous” but they have terrible reliability.
  • SCE to AUX The fix sounds like a bandaid. Kia's not going to address the defective shaft assemblies because it's hard and expensive - not cool.
  • Analoggrotto I am sick and tired of every little Hyundai Kia Genesis flaw being blown out of proportion. Why doesn't TTAC talk about the Tundra iForce Max problems, Toyota V35A engine problems or the Lexus 500H Hybrid problems? Here's why: education. Most of America is illiterate, as are the people who bash Hyundai Kia Genesis. Surveys conducted by credible sources have observed a high concentration of Hyundai Kia Genesis models at elite ivy league universities, you know those places where students earn degrees which earn more than $100K per year? Get with the program TTAC.
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