Interesting concepts at Seoul Motor Show

Unless you are Korean, it is not likely that you would have noticed doors to the Seoul Motor Show opening this weekend. Korean carmakers are doing their best to show the world what they can do on home ground.

KIA's KND-4

Kia, which has released some surprisingly nice concept cars at recent auto shows continues the trend with the KND-4, which was shown today at the Seoul International Motor Show. It’s clear that one major market for Kia is small to mid-size SUVs, as was recently shown with the Kia Kue.
The KND-4 is designed for customers with ‘active lifestyles’ – whatever that means – and features sleek styling to appeal to a younger market. The rounded nose features LED headlights, while flared wheelarches wrap around large diameter 20-inch wheels. Designed for four people with individual seats, the KND-4’s interior is ‘future-oriented’ with floor, dashboard and door trim panels in a metallic finish, highlighted by indirect lighting.
Conceived and created at the Kia Namyang Design Centre – hence the KND-4 naming – it is powered by a 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine driving all four wheels via the latest version of Kia’s Active Torque Transfer (ATT) system.

Hyundai HND Velostar

Not to be outdone by Kia’s new KND-4 concept, Hyundai has also released a concept car at the Seoul Auto Show called the HND-3 Velostar. The sporty 2-door coupe is powered by a 2.0L engine mated to a 5-speed gearbox. Despite the underwhelming specifications, the design is as futuristic as they come with a barely feasible rear end.
There’s some practicality behind the extended bum – the Velostar is a 2+2, not a simple 2-seater coupe as the pictures may suggest. Hyundai has a habit of showing sporty coupe concepts but hasn’t released any such production vehicle apart from the Tiburon.

We’ll update this story as more details are released.