KIA aims to be top of the pops with a new electric concept car to be unveiled in Paris.
Called the Pop, the Korean company’s compact eye-catcher will major on striking design and new technologies.
The car has been styled by Kia’s European design team under the direction of Peter Schreyer and Gregory Guillaume.
“A concept car like the Pop could only have come from us,” explained Guillaume. “Designers very rarely have the opportunity to start from a clean sheet of paper and it’s great to be in a position to operate with such freedom.”
Kia will also be displaying some production models including the all-new Optima, due for launch next year.
The family saloon is longer, lower, wider and has a longer wheelbase than any previous offering of its type from Kia and will be available with a choice of either a new 1.7-litre diesel engine producing 136PS or 2.0-litre continuously variable valve lift petrol engine with170PS.
The second of Kia’s design-led production models at Paris will be the new Sportage compact SUV, which will soon be available with two additional engine options – both smaller capacity.
They will be fitted with fuel-stretching technology and mated exclusively to 2WD drivetrains and six-speed manual transmissions.