If you thought that Kia’s design resurgence would start and end with the winsome Optima—it hasn’t really spread throughout the line, in all honesty—feast your eyes on the new Kia Novo concept, which just debuted at the Seoul auto show. Said to preview where Kia is going with its next generation of compact cars (think Forte), this car could give the Mazda 3 and the Volkswagen Golf a real run for their money among style-minded customers.
Kia is pitching the car as minimalist and coupe-inspired, and its surface development brings to mind the early work of Freeman Thomas and J Mays (Audi TT, VW New Beetle). The car’s fastback profile, forward-canted “tiger-nose” grille and quad laser headlamps give it a sporty, aggressive countenance, like a shrunken version of the Pininfarina-designed BMW Grand Lusso Concept from 2013. The basket-handle aluminum panel spanning the rearmost edge of the roof suggests that Kia will make unique C-pillars a point of distinction with its future car designs. The deep negative forms within each bumper are curiosities that may facilitate favorable aero properties, especially in back, so that could see production. As for the fender vent—make that door vent—well, that can just go away.
As with the exterior, the interior is remarkably clean and simple, containing four chairs with integrated seatbelts to minimize cabin clutter. The driver faces a three-dimensional, hologram-style display—an idea that seems a little far-fetched but would be fun to see realized. The secondary-control interface, however, strikes us as far more feasible, as they’re operated via a console-mounted touchpad, a la the Lexus NX.
The Novo is based on a modified version of the Forte platform and is powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine of undisclosed output mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The Novo rolls on 20-inch wheels, but what’s wrapped around them is more interesting: a set of “adaptive concave tires” that feature sunken middle sections that serve to cool the tires and channel water away, and narrow contact edges for lower rolling resistance when driving in a straight line and a “high level of grip” under cornering.
The current Forte was introduced just two years ago, so it may be a while before we see a Novo-inspired successor. But if Kia can ultimately a small car like this, it should be worth the wait.
