Kia CUB Imagines Turbo Five-Door Compact Hatch in Seoul

KiaKiaRepublic of Korea, 1944 > present52 models
1724 photos
4 videos
keeps calling its new CUBKia CUB Republic of Korea, 2013 > present1 photo
concept at the Seoul Motor Show a four-door coupe, but just look at it. Other than the suicide doors, that is a five-door hatchback if there ever was one. There is absolutely wrong with the car being a five-door hatch, but Kia seems to be trying to convince us the CUB is something that it is not. 

“The new Kia CUB is a compact, four-door coupe created with a clear focus on driving performance and practicality. Styled to appeal to trend-setting urban dwellers, the CUB features a comfortable four-seater cabin which generates an emotional, feel-good response and delivers everyday, real-world benefits," said Kia Chief Operating Officer Thomas Oh. 

The CUB was designed in Korea by Kia's President and Chief Designer Peter Schreyer as a compact, high style car. It is less than 4 meters long but has novel features like suicide doors and no B-pillars. The front of the concept blends the designs of the Optima and new Soul. There is a dip in the top of the windshield that is becoming Schreyer's signature on Kia models. He has incorporated the styling into the OptimaKia Optima Gen.3Republic of Korea, 2011 > present39 versions
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, SportageKia Sportage Gen.3 [III]Republic of Korea, 2010 > present65 versions
79 photos
and Cee'dKia cee'd Gen.2Republic of Korea, 2012 > present61 versions
42 photos
. The headlights include two LED projectors and a LED strip like the K9Kia K9Republic of Korea, 2012 > present4 photos
flagship. The CUB's design includes a body-color, one-piece grill surround that is meant to feed the car's turbocharged engine. The rear has LED taillights, and the rear bumper echoes the shape of the front. 

Inside, the CUB has four individual seats in black leather and yellow accents. The rest of the interior is quite minimal with simple controls and a screen on the dashboard for the infotainment system. 

Power comes from a 201hp, 1.6-liter turbocharged engine that will enter production in the Pro_cee'd GT and Cee'd GT in Europe later this year. 

Kia says that it has not plans to build a production version of the CUB.