Kia Stinger GT to hit 100km/h in 5.1sec

Kia's first rear-wheel drive sports sedan will hit 100km/h in about five seconds, making it the quickest production model ever to come from the upstart Korean brand.

At least that's what the company has promised in the second video instalment of the car's drip-feed teaser campaign in the lead-up to its confirmed global debut on the eve of the Detroit motor show on January 8.

Ten days ago in its first video tease at the www.thecurveahead.net mini-site, Kia released a video of the car lapping Germany's famed Nurburgring at speeds of up to 244km/h and a tacho that redlined at 6500rpm.

Now, its second teaser video shows a disguised sedan that's clearly based on the 2011 Kia GT concept and reveals a "pre-production development target" 0-100km/h acceleration time of 5.1 seconds.

Along with a speedo that reads to 260km/h, that puts the Kia Stinger GT – as we expect it will be called – up there with a host of mid-size rear-drive sports sedans from Germany in terms of top speed and acceleration.

"0-to-100 kph. A benchmark for any car operating on a higher level of performance, and the number that enthusiasts look for first," says Kia in its latest missive.

"The fastest-accelerating Kia to date represents a new paradigm of performance, its heart-pounding power encouraging you to grip the wheel a little more tightly."

As we’ve reported, the 2017 Stinger sedan range, which will open with a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol model priced around $40,000, will be topped by the circa-$50,000 GT flagship.

The latter – and the subject of Kia's long-winded reveal campaign, will be powered by the Hyundai group’s new 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6, which will offer about and 290kW of power and 535Nm of torque and could be matched with Kia’s new seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

Confirmed for Australian release in the third quarter of next year, just before the end of local Holden Commodore production, the Stinger would therefore provide the ideal starting point for what could become Kia’s first entry in Australia’s premier motorsport category.

Developed under the CK codename and likely to be based on the same new rear-drive platform as Hyundai’s first rival for the BMW 3 Series, the upcoming Genesis G70 sedan, the coupe-like Stinger will be positioned above the Optima as Kia’s flagship (and first) rear-drive passenger car.

Like all Kias sold here, the Korean brand's first legitimate driver's car, which has been spotted testing and even leaked in final production form, will undergo an extensive local tuning program before its Australian release around next September.

Stand by for more details as Kia counts down to its release in less than a month.