Kia compact SUV gains momentum

Korean car brand Kia and sister company Hyundai are both without a compact SUV in their ranges, and both companies are looking at ways to remedy this.

Hyundai has already teased its ix25 concept, which has been confirmed for sale in China only at present, while Kia revealed the edgy Niro compact SUV at Frankfurt last year, confirming at this year's New York show that the small SUV segment was too hot to ignore.

Kia President and Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer has now reiterated his desire to get in on the city-savvy SUV trend, with plans to develop a model potentially based on the Kia Soul.

Schreyer told Australian journalists at this week's Paris show that Kia needed a compact SUV in its range, and that the Soul could provide the basis for such a vehicle.

"I think that the B-class [small] SUV is something that is very important segment, and an important type of car coming up. This is something I think we need to work on. We need to do something," he said.

The German-born Kia chief said the Soul would provide an ample base for a new small SUV, despite failing to gain traction in the Australia market among younger buyers – something a compact SUV would need to do.

"I think if we try to make like an SUV out of the Soul, you know, lift it a bit, it would be a pretty cool car," he said.

Hinting that the vehicle could be a sporty, potentially coupe-like creation, Schreyer said the roofline could be lowered, making it appear less boxy than the current Soul.

"We are thinking about a lot of possibilities at the moment, and that could be one. I think smaller – not necessarily in footprint – but maybe smaller in height [than Soul]."

Small-sized, high-riding SUVs are becoming increasingly important to attracting new customers into dealerships, giving a wider demographic of motorists an affordable way to climb into an SUV.

Kia has the Sportage but it's classed as a medium SUV.

"I personally think [a new small SUV] should be more lifestyle than practical," said Schreyer, confirming his intention for a vehicle that puts form before function.

"If you look at the success of the Mercedes A-Class – you can hardly get in the rear – but it's very successful. They didn't care, and they thought right.

"I think with many cars, customers don’t look at the practicalities. They want a cool car," he said.

As it stands, it's looking increasingly likely the first compact SUV from Kia will be a sporty little number not unlike the Nissan JUKE or upcoming production version of the Toyota C-HR concept, rather than conventional designs such as the Ford EcoSport, Holden Trax and Mitsubishi ASX.