Kia ready to fly the Koup

Where have all the affordable coupes gone? Kia will launch its tidy-looking Koup in Australia around the third quarter of this year -- without any effective competition in the market. Where are the Celicas, the Cougars, Calibras, Integras, et al?

Sure, Hyundai will sell you a Tiburon, but when was the last time that model was marketed with some muscle behind it? Kia will have the playground mostly to itself when the Cerato-based Koup arrives here.

And arrive here it will. Kia reconfirmed as much during the recent launch for the Soul small car.

"We are... very proud to announce that we will be expanding our small-segment reach with the all-new Koup model in Spring this year," said Nick Reid, Kia Australia's Product Manager during the presentation for the Soul.

"So this will mean that Kia will have one of the strongest portfolios of product in the small segment -- the most important segment in the Australian market."

The Koup (officially the Forte Koup) was glimpsed at the New York International Auto Show last year in concept form, but has been given the full, laid-bare treatment in production guise at the same venue this year.

At the press conference for the new model, Kia revealed that the production Koup will be sold in base EX and upmarket SX grades (although that is yet to be decided for Australia). The former is powered by a 2.0-litre DOHC four-cylinder engine and features 16-inch alloy wheels, while the latter gets a 2.4-litre engine and 17-inch alloys. This is at odds with the turbocharged direct-injection 2.0-litre engine fitted to the concept vehicle (more here).

Kia has matched the 2.0-litre engine to a standard five-speed manual box with the option of a four-speed automatic transmission. The 2.4-litre engine drives through a six-speed manual or optional five-speed automatic.

Mechanically, the Koup shares components with the Cerato, including the MacPherson strut front-end and the torsion beam rear suspension. Steering is a power-assisted rack and pinion set-up, brakes comprise four-wheel discs and stability control is available.