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Kia will unveil potential Nissan Juke rival
13 August 2013
Kia will unveil potential Nissan Juke rival
Kia will disclose the look of a possible future subcompact SUV by unveiling the KED 10 concept car at the Frankfurt auto show next month. A production model would be a rival to the Nissan Juke, the segment's leader in Europe.
The concept "hints at a possible future B-segment contender ready to take on the urban environment with style and tenacity," Kia said in a statement. Kia press officers confirmed that the styling hints at a small SUV.
Kia said in the same statement that "although there are no current plans for production, the vehicle's unveiling in Frankfurt will be used to gauge potential customer response for future showroom models."
A subcompact SUV would fill in a gap in Kia's model range and give it an entry into a fast-growing niche. IHS Automotive predicts that sales of subcompact SUVs will grow to more than 500,000 in Europe by 2015, up from 154,461 last year.
Automakers that have recently introduced subcompact SUVs include Opel with the Mokka, Renault with the Captur and Peugeot with the 2008.
Kia sister brand Hyundai unveiled a small SUV concept car, the Curb, at the 2011 Detroit auto show.
KED 10 stands for Kia Europe Design 10 as it is the tenth concept car designed by the brand's European styling studio.
The larger Sportage compact SUV is Kia's No. 2 seller in Europe after the Cee'd compact hatchback. In the first half, Kia sold 47,566 Sportages in the region, up from 42,901 in 2012, according to JATO Dynamics data.
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