Kia Motors recently debuted its radical new concept car, the Kia Provo Concept. Like the recent Kia Cross GT concept, the Provo looks like it just rolled off a sketchpad – super conceptual, and definitely far from final production.
The exterior features a wraparound windshield, frameless doors, and a minimalist front. The interior is even more extreme. Gone is the center console, replaced by an undulating, diamond quilted, black bench seat. The traditional stick transmission is swapped for a series of aluminum dials.
The Kia Provo is small – less than 13 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 4.5 feet tall. Under its hood is a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine that puts out an estimated 201 hp. The Provo is four-wheel drive, with a supplementary electric motor driving the rear axle.
“(The Provo) is an emotional and muscular car aimed at delivering pure fun and performance for today's city-based enthusiast driver,“ said Gregory Guillaume, Chief Designer at Kia's European styling base in Frankfurt. “The potent shaping displays a balanced and refined outline within a compact overall shape and the tiny front and rear overhangs enhance the balance within its proportions."
Kia assures that it took its inspiration from modified street racers, however, the design seems to evoke the Mini Cooper, its likely competitor.
Before Kia declares a winner, it may want to rethink the Provo’s name before releasing it to the British consumers. Some people noted that “Provo” has negative connotations for most Britons, as “Provos” are members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, a paramilitary group that aims to take back Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom.
Considering that Kia has no plans to put the Provo into production, name changing might be the least of the Provo’s problems.
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