DETROIT MOTOR SHOW: Kia GT4 Stinger on the way

Kia's Detroit motor show star, the rear-drive GT4 Stinger 2+2 coupe will be built.

That's the news from insiders from the American arm of the Korean brand.

Unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Motor City this morning, the GT4 is powered by a 235kW version of Kia's turbo 2.0-litre four. Unlike other production  Kias to date, however, it will be built on a rear-drive platform.

The exact timeline for the production version of the new coupe is unclear, but it will be "at least two years" before the car makes it into US showrooms, say Kia USA sources.

The car with which the GT4 Stinger shares its architecture, the next generation of Hyundai's Genesis coupe, is not expected to debut until late 2015. The Hyundai was previewed as the HND-9 shown in Seoul Motor Show in 2013.

The Kia will likely follow its counterpart, perhaps debuting at Detroit show in early 2016.

In 2013, Kia sold more than 500,000 cars in the USA. The GT4 Stinger was styled entirely in the brand's US design office.

It's short front and rear overhangs echo Hyundai's proportions for the new Genesis.

GT4 seeks to be a more elemental sportscar, however, than the Hyundai. Inside, the Kia concept features painted metal surfaces and minimal upholstery. It also eschews any form of entertainment system. That should be provided by the drive, Kia's design team suggests.

Kia revealed little information about the GT4 Stinger at Detroit but confirmed it features a conventional manual six-speed gearbox and a minimum of electronic driving aids.

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