GTi rival planned by Kia 01 | 04 | 2011

KIA IS TARGETING Volkswagen's Golf GTi with its new generation of models as it steps up its assault on European brands — the Korean manufacturer is planning a new hot hatchback. And it could be in Kia's Scottish showrooms as early as next autumn.

“We are preparing turbocharged engines,” Soon-Nam Lee, Kia’s overseas marketing director, confirmed. “We are tuning suspension and we are preparing a Golf GTI rival.”

Not surprisingly, the basis of the new hot-hatch is expected to be the next generation of Kia’s three-door Cee’d — already the manufacturer's best-looking car in the showroom. It's likely the new model will be influenced by the Koup concept, a two-door fastback coupé first revealed at the New York show in 2008.

Expect the new GTi-rival to be powered by Kia’s latest 2.0-litre turbocharged Theta II engine; the powerplant, which produces a hefty 274bhp, is fitted to the latest Optima saloon in the US.

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