The KIA Cross GT Concept Unveiled At The Chicago Auto Show

The KIA Cross GT Concept Unveiled At The Chicago Auto Show
The KIA Cross GT Concept Unveiled At The Chicago Auto Show

The Kia Cross GT Concept car was unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show previewing Kia’s move toward larger vehicles while continuing their premium look and feel.

This strictly conceptual vehicle is considerably larger than the Kia Sorento. At 122.0 inches, it beats the Sorento’s wheelbase by 15.7 inches. It’s also 8.4 inches longer than the Sorento, coming in at an overall length of 192.8.

It’s even wider by 4.9 inches at 79.1 inches total, but when it comes to height the Sorento is actually higher. At just 65.3″ high, the Kia Cross GT Concept is not just lower than the Sorento, but lower than most big CUVs. This, along with rear-hinged doors and a multi-paneled skylight with hexagonal glass gives it a very distinctive look that stands out from other similar vehicles

Kia Cross GT Concept

Inside, the KIA Cross GT Concept is all earth tones and warm, natural materials. There are four leather-covered bucket seats that lend to the open, airy design and they’ve been tanned with vegetable oil and natural dyes. There’s also re-harvested American Walut on the dash.

Under the hood there’s a 3.8-liter V6 hybrid, 8-speed automatic and torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive. The V6 gets a boost from KIA’s parallel hybrid system that features an electric motor sandwiched between the V6 and transmission. Combined, the two produce 500 lb.-ft. of torque and 400 horsepower with an all-electric range of 20-miles.

Although only a concept today, the ideas presented in the new KIA Cross GT Concept are sure to be explored in future production vehicles.

Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. When not drooling over cars, Nicole writes for Wired’s GeekMom.