Kia aims to shine with Ray concept

Kia has provided the first glimpse of a plug-in hybrid concept it will reveal at the Chicago Auto Show on February 11.

The 'Ray' was styled by the team at Kia Design Centre America, and the project is meant to showcase how the Korean carmaker's evolving design direction would be applied to the packaging of a plug-in hybrid vehicle.

The shadowy rendering released for now doesn't give away too much, but the vehicle appears to be a swoopy coupe-cum-sedan with proportions somewhat reminiscent of Aston Martin's upcoming Rapide.

The Ray will be the centrepiece of Kia's stand at the Chicago expo, and it will allegedly contribute to the brand's ongoing development of alternative-fuel vehicles.

Kia already has a small number of working fuel-cell prototypes operating in California and Korea, as well as an assortment of hybrid-powered vehicles providing real-world data in various locations.

The company says it also plans for further development of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) hybrid vehicles in Korea within the next 12 months.

However, Kia is yet to make an announcement about when hybrids of any description would be marketed in Australia.

The Ray is proof that the company is aiming to push the techno and stylistic boundaries, rather than merely milking the low-cost/high-volume segments with predictable offerings.

We're keen to see what Peter Schreyer and his design team have done with Ray, as the rendering certainly points to a handsome device. All will be revealed in just over a fortnight...

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