Korean automaker, Kia, has been far more aggressive in expanding its company profile in the past couple of years and establishing itself as one of the most popular automakers in the world.

Now we're learning that Kia->ke41 is set to venture into a whole new market after news broke that they have green-lighted the production of the Kia GT Concept sports car for 2013. We first saw the GT Concept at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show->ke235 a few months ago and were left breathless at the car's cutting-edge design and significant - at least for Kia - performance numbers.

For the production GT Concept, Kia is looking at a comprehensive line-up that not only includes a sedan version, but also a two-door coupe variant and, quite possibly, even a station wagon.

What we do know is that the production GT will be made to provide the market a Korean alternative to many of the German automakers, particularly Audi->ke14 and BMW->ke178. If you ever thought the day would come wherein Kia would be mentioned in the same sentence as those two German automakers, then your day has finally come.

As it stands, details on the production version of the GT Concept are still being kept under wraps. The concept we saw at Frankfurt carried a 3.3-liter turbocharged V6 engine with 390 horsepower so you can probably expect something along those lines.

Whatever the case may be, Kia's decision to push for the production of the concept shows without a tinge of doubt that they're ready to play with the Germans. And the best part is, they sure as heck aren't backing down.

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