Kia GT4 Stinger suggests what a purebred Korean sports car could be

Designed in Kia’s California design studio, the GT4 Stinger concept unveiled in Detroit today comes billed as a “back-to-basics” 2+2-passenger hatchback. The design is both stunning and simple, making a bossy impression not through crude ornamentation and extreme contours but rather with powerful, classic coupe proportions, elegantly articulated fenders and well-placed lighting and window elements. Its shorter than a Kia Forte sedan yet wider than the big Cadenza.

But where does it go from here?

Dominating the GT4 Stinger’s front end are chunky, vertical LED headlamps that look like radioactive ice cube trays. Other cool touches include multilayered black inserts around the grille and carbon fiber wheel spokes that give the openings the perception of added depth. We also love the weight-saving, see-through A-pillars and taillamps that peek through the blackout tail, the latter contoured to give off an almost “Kamm-back” appearance, a la the 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona.

Whereas most of the Stinger’s design details are delightfully subtle, including thin carbon fiber aero skirts, flush metal door handles and black lower door accents that lead to rear brake cooling ducts. But alas, there is one bit of concept car kitsch (Kia-tsch?) in the form of an illuminated white grille surround, which is all sorts of fun on the show stand, but on the road, would be beyond dorky.

Aside from the obnoxious Day-Glo grille, what’s most striking about the GT4 Stinger is its sheer cleanliness; the body panels wrap around corners, and you can count the number of body seams on your fingers (only door and hood cuts—that’s it). Even the exhaust tips poke through the bodywork without creating a break. From a visual impact perspective, the GT4 Stinger is a home run. And we hope that, as Kia suggests, future Kia models borrow heavily from it.

The GT4 Stinger’s interior gets back to basics, with futuristic LED-illuminated panels on the dashboard, pull straps instead of door handles, and interior surfaces that are either painted or naked materials.

The Stinger is built upon a shortened Hyundai Genesis platform, and is powered by a 315-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged direct-injection four-cylinder engine that sends its power to the rear wheels via a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission. Should the GT4 Stinger be on the road today, it would handily outgun the Scion FR-S/Subaru BR-Z twins and the Mazda Miata and place it in the same echelon as the Hyundai Genesis Coupe and (non-V-8) Ford Mustangs.

Bringing those gorgeous 20-inch wheels to a halt are two-piece 15-inch cross-drilled Brembo brakes clamped by four-piston calipers. Factor in its snug, front and rear double-wishbone suspension, quick-ratio steering rack and low, 2,874-lb curb weight distributed 52/48 front/rear, and the GT4 Stinger sounds like an absolute hoot.

While Kia has not promised it will be produced in any form, we think that a purebred, affordable sports car would be a welcome addition to Kia’s existing lineup of affordable vehicles. And given Kia’s history of displaying concept cars that soon become production cars, its prospects look good.

Kia is calling the GT4 its most aggressive concept car ever. Here’s to it becoming its most aggressive production car ever.