Most of our American readers probably know Kia's hatchback as the C apostrophe D, Top Gear's current reasonably priced car. While that was probably chosen to make sure there isn't enough power to kill any of the brave celebrities on BBC's watch, the new GT version that is coming to Geneva won't be able to promise the same.
Designed by Kia's European design studio in Frankfurt under the supervision of Peter Schreyer, the cee'd GT and the two-door pro_cee'd GT will not only have the lamest name ever put on a car after production starts in Slovakia this May, but also feature LED running lights, dual-exhaust pipes and red brake calipers behind 18-inch alloys, while on the inside, Recaro seats wrapped in leather will support the sporty image.
Powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine putting out 204 horses and 195lb-ft, Kia's "most performance-focused models yet" will reach sixty in less than eight seconds. That sounds like a plain and simple recipe for something milder than the hot hatches they have out now. We'll check both cars out in March at the Geneva Motor Show, while in the UK, they will go on sale later this year.
That's all great news for the British, but how about you Americans? Would you buy a sporty Korean like this?