What's the news?

Kia has unveiled an exciting new concept that already looks fairly production ready, and this time a less politically sensitive name has been chosen... The CUB is a four-door coupé concept that Kia believes will appeal to younger buyers.

Exterior

Kia's CUB has a very smooth design that gives it a sleek appearance alluding to what could be some respectable performance. The wraparound front bumper makes the overhang appear smaller up front while the rear bumper almost seems moulded around the back wheels.

The front doors are dominated by aerodynamic 'turning vanes' along the sill, which are probably as much about making a bold design statement as they are about airflow. The glass areas sit flush with the rest of the bodywork while the door handles are replaced by touch-sensitive controls that add to that super clean design.

Interior

Being a concept, Kia has been able to showcase some real luxury on the inside. The four individual seats are covered in sumptuous black leather with contrasting yellow stitching. The dash is a simple, minimalist affair with an instrument cluster that Kia says is 'inspired by the eyes of a wild animal'.

It also showcases a steering wheel rim that Kia claims is capable of monitoring a driver's biorhythm from a safety perspective. A DIS (Driving Information System) is present and is controlled via a gesture camera allowing the driver to change menu displays by using 'well-defined motions'.

The four-seater cabin is designed to be very easy to get in and out of thanks to the rearward-opening back doors and the lack of a traditional B-pillar, similar to what can be seen in the Ford B-MAX.

Mechanicals

Powering the Kia CUB is a twin-scroll turbocharged 1.6-litre direct injection petrol engine, which is the same as what will appear in the new Kia pro_cee'd GT and cee'd GT. This engine generates 204hp and 265Nm allowing it to accelerate to 62mph in just 7.7 seconds. This is matched up to a six-speed manual gearbox and the car should be capable of speeds of over 140mph.

Anything else?

Kia has been churning out some very interesting concepts lately, many of which are looking a lot more production ready. The CUB isn't a million miles away from being a car capable of being made in the near future - once some conventional door handles and a few other items are added; although Kia says there are no plans to put the CUB into volume production.

Dave Humphreys - 28 Mar 2013