Kia to unveil compact SUV at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

South Korea based auto manufacturer Kia has announced that it will officially unveil a compact SUV concept at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. Why this is important you ask? Kia is Hyundai’s sister concern, and Hyundai is aligning its forces to introduce an Ecosport rival. So it is likely that the India-bound compact SUV will be based on the same platform as this Kia prototype.

The teaser images revealed by Kia suggests that the car will follow a futuristic design styling while keeping key Kia characteristics, like the paddle shaped front grille. For Kia, the prototype will be a platform to build a Nissan Juke rival for the European market. Kia has no plans to materialise the prototype soon but will help the company gauge the market response for the new design philosophy.

Hyundai has not revealed any plans to incorporate the platform into their line up but it makes logical sense to do so. The Ecosport launch has dented Hyundai’s i20 sales, and the company will be eager to get the numbers back. The launch of a compact SUV will be the best way to do so considering our new found interest for sub-four meter crossovers.