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In the past few years, Kia’s success on the market has increased significantly with models like the SOUL and the Forte becoming leaders in their segment. Taking this under consideration, it’s no wonder that the Korean manufacturer is expanding their market - which as of now consists of coupes, sedans, crossovers, and SUVs - to include a small roadster. The Kia Roadster - name unknown - will set out to compete against one of the only lower end roadsters on the market: the Mazda MX-5. The new Kia Roadster will weigh no more than 2200 lbs and will come with a rear wheel drive system. Engine specifications are not exact, but we should be getting about 200 HP out of a turbo petrol engine. About a year after the Kia debuts, we should also be seeing a Hyundai version of the same vehicle. Think along the lines of the relationship between the Toyota FT-86 and Scion FR-S. The path has been set, but don’t expect this sporty model to show up anytime before 2013; building a model that will be "fun, dynamic and addressed to young buyers" will surely take some time. Hit the jump to read more about the future Kia Roadster. Exterior and InteriorThe future Kia Roadster’s design language will follow the same trend started a while ago by models like the Forte and the Optima. It will only be available with a soft top and, according to previous rumors, may be inspired by the old KCV III concept - a theory we highly doubt considering the KCV III is outdated. EngineUnder the hood of Kia’s future roadster, we will most likely find a new turbo petrol engine mated to a standard six-speed manual transmission. However, with the recent trends, we may also see a double-clutch gearbox as a viable and free option. This setup will will deliver about 200 HP. 2003 Kia KCV-III Concept  PricingThe new Kia Roadster is expected to be revealed at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show with sales to begin in early 2014. Prices will be in the $30K area. CompetitionKia has already made it clear that this model will target the Mazda MX-5, but models like the future Volkswagen BlueSport will also fit its target area. Mazda may be getting ready for the action as the company is already working on their next generation MX-5. The company plans to drop about 720 pounds from the 2,480-pound curb weight of today’s Miata and then add a newly developed four-cylinder engine with up to 160 HP under the hood. The production version of the Volkswagen Bluesport is expected to be revealed in the next two years. It will feature a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine with an output of about 170 HP. Great look Rear-wheel-drive Affordable Soft top only We hope there will be more than just one engine 20 comments: Kia Roadster Yeah, the price that they are putting on this one is really very enticing. And the looks are another plus factor too. I just hope that the performance would be an added bonus.
 Well, this one actually looks very good. It seems that Kia is really making a headway on this one one. It really wouldn’t be surprising if they soon venture into sports cars.
 Looks great!.. And the price is so affordable that anyone may have to chances to own a car like this KIA. I think this will gonna hit the year 2014.
 Yeah, their current looks is more of a Smart car type of vehicle. However, I was impressed with the speed newer version of this car and I think the competition in the market would be more exciting.
 It seems that I can see different look from this Korean car. Well, its a good thing that KIA has been experimenting different look and know on which will be a hit among their buyers. I can sense that 2014 would be a good year for them.
 This one seems to be the direct competitor to the MX-5 that they were mentioning a few months back. It does look good, but we still have to see how it would actually fare with the Miata.
 Hmm, it actually looks good. Never really thought that Kia would actually roll out this one, but it was really a pleasant surprise. Hopefully, this would look much better when they finally put this into production.
 Just looking at the competitor of this car I don’t think that its competitive enough. The combination of Volkswagen and Mazda can be beaten by KIA roadster.
 I really love the performance of the rear wheel drive. Talking about affordability and great look this car would be a good option. However, I don’t think that this is the best option for roadster since it comes up with soft roof top only.
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Posted on
07.8.2011 @ 01:00