2011 Kia KV7 Concept

And you thought gullwing doors were just for supercars and time-traveling vehicles of the Back to the Future variety.

Korean automaker Kia is attempting to break that mold with the KV7, a crossover concept that uses the growing fad of gullwings by incorporating them into a vehicle that’s scheduled to make its debut at the North American Auto Show in January.

Details on the car will be revealed in the days leading up to the auto show, but the concept is just a small taste of what to expect from Kia – and to a bigger extent, it’s Korean brother from another mother, Hyundai – as it attempts to expand its line-up and do away with it’s old conservative perception. Moving forward, the KV7 is the first step in Kia’s attempt to release cars that put a premium on style and quality.

Though it’s scheduled to debut in concept form in Detroit, there’s no telling whether the production version – if it makes it there – will be identical to what the concept is going to look like. We’re not overly optimistic about it – especially those gullwings - but we still have to give credit to Kia for releasing production vehicles that first made headway as concepts. These include the Soul, the Sportage, and the Forte Koup, which bore some striking resemblances to their concept forms.

Nevertheless, Kia is poised to make a pre-emptive strike on the industry in 2011 with the KV7 Concept. It’s a good move for a brand that’s looking to make some serious headway in the coming years.

UPDATE 01/09/11: Days ahead of its major debut at the 2011 NAIAS, Kia has just revealed the first teaser photo of its new concept crossover, the KV-7. Not much can be derived from it except an image of what looks to be an oddly configured headlight with lights that look more like teeth. Apart from that we can also see one side of the front bumper that looks to have come with its own set of lights. Check it out in the gallery!

Short Press Release after the jump.