Kia's new SUV concept at Geneva Motor Show

Looking every centimetre a road-legal racer, Kia’s new provo concept, unveiled at the 83rd Salon International De l’Auto in Geneva, mixes ultra-modern technology with an agile look to deliver an exciting new B-segment car for enthusiasts. The sleek, low, yet muscular coupe-style hatchback mixes a petrol-fuelled turbo-charged engine with clever regenerative-electric motors to bring a smart-hybrid solution to this fun-focused concept that points to Kia Motors’ future B-segment expansion plans.

This is a car designed for fun – pure and simple.  Every curve, crease and line combines to bring provo to life with a single purpose – to delight and entrance its owner and to bring a smile to the driver's face.  The car is meant to be cheeky and cheerful in its compactness and to hint at the fun awaiting on the open road.

Described by Gregory Guillaume, Chief Designer at Kia’s European styling base in Frankfurt, as “an emotional and muscular car aimed at delivering pure fun and performance for today’s city-based enthusiast driver who longs for the curves of the open road,” the Kia provo isn’t just a styling exercise.  It combines a 1.6-litre Turbo GDi engine producing 201bhp with smart-4WD-hybrid technology from an electric motor delivering an additional power surge to the rear wheels when required and also allowing low-speed electric-only motion.  A seven-speed DCT transmission – Kia’s first – completes the impressive technical package.

Hidden behind a single piece of glass is the latest take on the Kia’s ‘tiger nose’ grille treatment linking straight into the Schreyer-inspired headlamp units that are made up of more than 850 tiny LEDs.  The programmable LEDs can be used to provide daytime running lights, full beam or even race-style configurations – as well as more humorous and decorative displays to add to provo’s sense of fun!

This thin, sharp glass panel is echoed at the rear of provo’s body and separates a purposeful splitter-style lower valance from the long, flat bonnet panel sculpted with twin creases to hint at, but not slavishly copy, the muscle cars of old.

Colour is used on the provo to enhance the almost-masculine stance with sharp points echoed throughout the design.  High-intensity blood-orange accents contrast with the grey-green ‘Storm Metal’ body colour to draw the eye to particular aspects of the structure and equipment, while carbon fibre surfaces interplay with traditional materials and high-gloss or anodised aluminium to strengthen the connection to the track cars that inspired provo.

Planting provo firmly in touch with the road are distinctive 225/40-shod, 19-inch milled-alloy wheels with a traditional ‘cast’ look fixed by single centre nuts finished in anodised blood-orange.  And with just a 2.53-metre wheelbase, exciting handling and road-holding is guaranteed.

But, this potent internal combustion engine also benefits from a regenerative-powered electric motor driving the rear wheels either automatically when required during cornering and in strong acceleration – giving a power boost of as much as 45 ps – or in a button-activated creep-mode at low speeds to avoid emissions in city traffic or when ‘stealth’ is required.  The regenerative system captures its power during braking when in normal use.

The next surprise is the door construction itself – the doors are made from three individual panels – the outer panel, a carbon-fibre inner panel and a neoprene-covered inner section that also features the Storm Metal body colour.  The inner door releases are reassuringly solid polished aluminium. The dashboard is made from a single expanse of carbon fibre, but does not extend down to the floor – deliberately – in order to keep the footwells clear and uncluttered except for polished aluminium footrests and pedals.

The centre-mounted display provides appropriate gauges to the mode with a series of aluminium toggle switches set underneath – including an anodised blood-orange toggle for the hazard warning lights. Modern materials allow the front seat construction to be made from a single wave-like panel running from one door sill to the other – covered in quilted leather.  The seat backrests are cleverly mounted on a rotating aluminium track so that instead of folding forward, they spin into the centre of the vehicle allowing easy access to the admittedly occasional-use rear seats.