One of the best looking cars at this month's New York auto show was surely the 2011 Kia Optima. Its lines are a little subtler than its sibling, the Hyundai Sonata, but the Optima wears the corporate Kia nose (as penned by chief designer Peter Schreyer) quite well.
Kia will no doubt attempt to position the Optima sedan as the sportier member of the Hyundai-Kia midsize family. A coupe version of the Optima, perhaps named the Kia Optima Koup, is then a logical extension of the Optima line. Sources close to Kia tell us an Optima coupe is in the works with a possible launch in late 2011.
As you can see, the lines of the sedan translate well to a two-door body style. Although these are just renderings, sources close to the project suggest they're pretty close to the designs under consideration for production.
Expect to see Kia make use of both the direct-injected 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine (200 horsepower) and the spicier, 274-hp, turbocharged 2.0-liter four in the Optima Coupe. We expect the turbo Optima Koup to get a lowered sport suspension, low-profile tires and a subtle rear-deck spoiler. Don't hold out hope for a manual transmission on the 2.0T Kia Optima coupe, though, as Hyundai and Kia are hedging their bets that even car guys would rather have a six-speed automatic no matter how much they may protest.
Renderings by Theophilus Chin
firstwagon says:
05:03 PM, 04/29/10
I'm not really into coupes but that is nice.
sabastian says:
05:33 PM, 04/29/10
I think it looks better than the Hyundai, but that's just me.
cr_driver says:
06:24 PM, 04/29/10
No, it is not just you. Me too. In fact way better.
majin_ssj_eric says:
06:37 PM, 04/29/10
Everything Peter Schreyer touches is just pure gold. Audi was crazy to let that guy go....
bc1960 says:
08:24 PM, 04/29/10
Ummm, he was also head designer on the VW Eos, which I would place in the dross, as opposed to gold, category. This coupe rendering is a tremendous improvement on the sedan, lacking the bizarre rear doors. However, the Saturn Ion-style band along the edges of the roof and rear pillar is still heinous. It's as if they decided, well, the Sonata already took the spear along the fenders and beltline, so we have to find a different location for a cheesy chrome accent.
ben_p says:
11:18 PM, 04/29/10
This car is ugly as. Look at the back. It looks like they have just folded a sheet of metal in half and skrewed it to the car, the grill isn't much better.
hda6spmt says:
05:39 AM, 04/30/10
front headlights and shape of grill look very accord like
rear end and tailights looks to abrupt and cut off
very square
btw this thing looks hugeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!
j2j says:
06:40 AM, 04/30/10
hda6spmt says:
"front headlights and shape of grill look very accord like"
And the headlights and grill of the Accord look very Sonata-like (circa 2007); not to mention that the headlights are lifted from the Kia Kue concept which predates the Accord.
bankerdanny says:
08:26 AM, 04/30/10
Nice rendering and I have to say that Theophilus Chin is a very cool name. Sounds like a villain from Sherlock Holmes
hda6spmt says:
08:51 AM, 04/30/10
j2j
the accord looks nothing like the sonata
btw the accord made it to production before that Kue SUV thing