24 February 2009 - 10:00
You should have seen the first two…
More pictures of the Kia No. 3 concept
Kia is heading to Geneva with a new small car concept: the No 3.
For some reason skipping the Kia No. 1 and Kia No. 2 - or is it obvious why? - the Korean manufacturer has jumped straight into the numbers game with a glass-roofed supermini concept that previews its Ford Fiesta rival set to go on sale next year.
There’s more than a passing resemblance to Ford’s lovely city car, isn’t there? The No. 3 is the first complete car from Kia’s new design chief Peter Schreyer, and displays several of the design cues seen on the Soul crossover concept: angular headlights and a strong chin give the No. 3 a far more distinctive front end than the current Kia production line-up.
Perhaps the most striking feature, though, is the diagonal header rail running across the top of the windscreen and panoramic roof. Asymmetricality is much underrated in small city cars, we think.
When it goes into production next year, the No. 3 will be based on the same platform as the deeply competent Hyundai i20 (Hyundai owns Kia, remember) and Kia Soul, and will be in direct competition both with the current crop of superminis including the Mazda2, but also mini-MPVs like the Renault Modus and Vauxhall Meriva.
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hope the roof makes it to production. pretty cool!
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Have to say, this car's really nice... Much better looking than the Honda Jazz or event the Fiesta...
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Lovin' the roof. BTW, only the windows and mirrors look Ford-like. The rest is more Kia Soul-like, but smaller. As for the name, maybe it smells really nice...
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I'm sorry you are all wrong this thing is ghastly and it will be hopeless like every other Kia and as for the name they obviously can't be bothered thinking about the name. The roof would be cool if it didnt have that stupid line cutting through it. It will NOT work, I can guarantee you.
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The line cutting through the roof could at least be horizontal- it would look better that way. What if it was really sunny and you were stuck in a massive tailjam on the M6 you would be fried.
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What some people seem to be forgetting is that it is a Kia concept car. If it ever actually goes into production, it will be boring. It may not even have a glass roof - though probably as an option - and that windscreen will be straightened. You may as well complain that the seats aren't ergonomic enough, or that gold would look silly. It's a concept car! It's supposed to have odd bits on it!
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1 on comb-over It'd be cool if that huge (and expensive looking) windscreen makes it to production. By the time we get to buy it, most likely the chrome bits will be gone. Steel wheels and naff plastic covers and the common-or-garden rear view mirror will replace the tasty bits in these pictures. Hope they keep the zebra striped seats, though...
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Hmm not sure. Still at least it is something a bit different I guess!
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i hate it, just look at tha black strip on the roof. if i was in there i would think i am about to get poo on my head from a bird over head. and also its just a bloody excuse for not designing the roof
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HazardO commented on this article
24 February 2009
[quote]Asymmetricality is much underrated in small city cars, we think.[/quote] But it looks like a comb over!
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