Supporting the global launch of its first performance cars – pro_cee’d GT and cee’d GT – Kia’s Geneva concept car, the Provo is also about high performance.
In fact Kia has labeled the Provo a road-legal racer.
And while the low, muscular sports star is a concept, Kia says the Provo does point to a future direction for its ‘B-segment’ vehicles.
And, if the Provo is anything to go by, that direction is high-tech. Under the bonnet is Kia’s 150kW 1.6-litre turbo-diesel driving the front wheels and an electric motor driving the rears – Kia calls it ‘smart-4WD-hybrid’ technology.
The gearbox is also significant – Kia’s first seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.
Looks are superb (the work of Kia’s European design studio in Frankfurt, Germany) with the Provo reminiscent of a full-face crash helmet where the small windscreen is the visor. Panels are carbon fibre, there’s a racing aero splitter up-front and the stumpy rear-end features a splitter plus adjustable vents to re-direct airflow.
The front-end is a masterpiece with a sharp ‘tiger nose’ grille and headlights comprising 850 LEDs which can be configured in different ways.
As shown in Geneva, the Kia Provo was finished in grey-green ‘Storm Metal’ paint with orange accents and sat on 19-inch alloy wheels with 225/40 19 tyres.
Inside is a race car-like interior with a one-piece carbon fibre dashboard and prominent central tunnel.
Kia has not ruled-out a production version of the Provo…sounds like a great idea to us.
