Kia Signature Concept Portends Future Global Small SUV
Kia used the 2019 Seoul Motor Show to debut an update to the SP Concept SUV that first showed at Auto Expo 2018 in India. The Signature concept “hints at the company’s plans to introduce a new small SUV for its global markets,” according to Kia.
Related: For All-New Hyundai Venue, New York Auto Show Is the Place to Be
Kia calls the Signature an “evolution” of the SP Concept, and it certainly looks nearer to production. The wheels are more production-ready, the roof looks more traditional with a set of roof rails, and now there are visible door handles instead of the concept car’s gimmicky invisible ones.
The rest of the Signature looks like an evolution of Kia’s design language, featuring the “tiger nose” grille that has become part of the automaker’s look of late. Unlike the brand’s newest SUV, the 2020 Telluride, the Signature’s grille extends directly into the LED headlights. The rear features LED taillights joined by a metallic strip that runs across the center of the liftgate. Fake exhaust tips are at the lower corners of the bumper, giving the Signature a sportier look.
There’s no word from Kia beyond its “global markets” claim that the Signature indicates an SUV destined for the U.S. market, but given sibling brand Hyundai’s announcement of the Venue small SUV’s debut at the 2019 New York International Auto Show in April, it seems possible that the Signature is Kia’s take on an SUV of the same size. Hyundai’s promotional materials targeted a younger demographic, and Kia’s says “the Signature heralds the forthcoming arrival of a model for young trend-setters.”
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Kia also debuted the Mohave — not Mojave — Masterpiece concept at the show. The Mohave is a more off-road-focused SUV model from Kia that was briefly sold in the U.S. as the Borrego and has had success in other markets. The Mohave has been rumored as a possible Sorento replacement, or perhaps a complement to Kia’s SUV lineup in the U.S., but nothing is confirmed. Most interesting about the Mohave is that it wears a Mohave badge instead of a Kia one, similar to Hyundai’s Genesis and Equus models before the Hyundai-Genesis split.
We’ll have more news on either model if it seems likely to become available in the U.S., especially if either shows up at the New York auto show.
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