GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Kia reveals provo

Provo is proof positive Kia is eyeing an expansion in the light car segment.

Not content with the success its Rio hatch has garnered Down Under and abroad, Kia's Geneva show concept, the ‘provo’, points to the innovative Korean brand adding a new string to its bow.

And though the showcar is a low-riding coupe, don't dismiss it transforming into a crossover by the time it hits production.

Portrayed as a racer for the road, Kia describes provo as "self-confident and agile" and as a "sleek, low, yet muscular coupe-style hatchback".

The car is powered by the same 150kW 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine that will debut Down Under in the pro_cee'd.

However, the concept car also adds "clever regenerative-electric motors to bring a smart-hybrid solution". The motors power the rear wheel to deliver "an additional power surge... when required and also allowing low-speed electric-only motion". The addition is to the tune of 33kW.

Gregory Guillaume, Chief Designer at Kia’s Frankfurt design centre says the provo isn’t just a styling exercise. He says provo is: “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".

“This is entirely a car for European tastes and conditions. Designed purely at our Frankfurt studios, the provo was conceived as a confident and single-minded statement of dynamism and energy to deliver a new sense of fun into the B-segment," Guillaume stated.

Design highlights of the provo include a glass front that covers Kia's latest ‘tiger nose’ grille treatment and "[Peter] Schreyer-inspired headlamp units that are made up of more than 850 tiny LEDs".

Kia says the LEDs are programmable "to provide daytime running lights, full beam or even race-style configurations – as well as more humorous and decorative displays".

Side windows are frameless and a wrap-around front screen hides the A-pillars. In this respect the provo echoes the 'helmet on wheel' look of the Kia Trakster.

Inside there are what Guillame describes as a "very, very black" cabin.

"... We believe it [the interior] should be to allow drivers to focus on the experience," the designer opined.

Electric door releases open doors that feature carbon-fibre inner panels and neoprene highlights. The dash too is carbon-fibre. In true showcar style, there's a mix of analog and multimode digital gauges and the now requisite multimedia interface. The quilted leather seats and detailing look straight from the Bentley back catalog.

Says Kia: "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".

Kia admits there's no production schedule for provo. It'll be a measure of the brand's maturity and daring to see if and when it pushes the button.

For our full coverage head to motoring.com.au for the latest Geneva motor show news

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