Kia->ke41 unveiled its rear-wheel-drive 2011 Kia GT concept at the Frankfurt Auto Show->ke235 back in 2011. Since then, Kia has revamped a few things and plans for it to be ready in time for the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show,->ke211 or the North American International Auto Show->ke222 early in 2016. The GT->ke3974 concept has been modified for U.S. crash safety standards and is said to be production-ready. It will most likely lose the suicide doors, and exhibit other minor changes that will tone down the body design a bit. Kia expects the U.S. to be the largest market for the new GT sedan->ke142 when it goes into production.

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Why it matters

Kia already has a luxury, rear-wheel-drive sedan: the 2015 Kia K900. In the U.S. market it starts out at $54,500, and it competes with the 2015 Chrysler 300, and 2016 BMW 7 series. So I have to question where they plan to fit this new GT sedan in the lineup and just what it will compete against.

I am a fan of its design though -- just looking at the rear end, you can tell Kia looked to the '70s for inspiration in the design. Based on looks alone, I expect to see a pretty high price tag, which may be a bit overreaching for the Korean automaker and it's current customer base.

2011 Kia GT Concept

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