OTHER VEHICLE

• Cross GT takes Kia design in a bold new direction
• Hints at the future of the brands premium aesthetic in a larger segment

Blurring the line between Kias gorgeous GT concept and a luxury crossover vehicle, Kia Motors America today unveiled the beautiful Cross GT concept at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show. The Cross GT with its elegant yet powerful stance confirms, once again, Kias now-well-established reputation for world-class design.


The Cross GT seamlessly melds high technology with nature, creating a harmonious partnership between driver and vehicle that also respects our global environment. Purely conceptual, the Cross GT reveals Kias intentions to potentially offer a larger premium SUV than the current Sorento in certain markets.

Commenting on Kias latest concept car, Peter Schreyer, Kia Motors Corporation President and Global Chief of Design, said: "The debut of the GT in 2011 heralded a new frontier for Kia, both from a design and a business perspective. It beautifully illustrated to the world that the brand was ready to explore the possibility of perhaps one day offering a full-size rear-wheel-drive luxury saloon. The Cross GT, with its raised stance and large cargo area, allows us to envision the GT in the form of a full-size luxury crossover."

While the GTs lines were penned in Frankfurt, Germany, the Cross GT hails from Kia Design Center America (KDCA) in Irvine, California, the house that breathed life into the Trackster, KV7 and Soulster concepts, and most recently the all-new production 2014 Forte saloon - Kias C-segment model outside of Europe.

Based on the GT chassis, the Cross GTs proportions are similar to its rear-wheel-drive stable mate with short overhangs, a long wheelbase and an aggressively wide posture. But the Cross GT offers even greater visibility thanks to its taller stature and features all-wheel drive for improved performance and all-weather capability.

Drawing inspiration from nature, driven by technology and bathed in gorgeous Fusion Copper, the Cross GT is powered by an efficient hybrid powertrain that looks to reduce the vehicles carbon footprint while providing the uncompromising performance thats expected of a large, luxury crossover.

Utilising a state-of-the-art 3.8-litre V6 hybrid, 8-speed automatic and torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive, the Cross GTs powertrain matches the sophistication of the exterior and interior designs. Supplementing the V6 is an evolution of Kias parallel hybrid system, a pancake-shaped electric motor positioned between the V6 and transmission.

Combined, the V6 and electric motor produce 500 lb/ft of torque and 400 horsepower, with an all-electric range of 20 miles - sufficient to enable exhilarating performance, while delivering superior fuel economy and fuel efficiency.

While strictly a concept powertrain, Kias proven hybrid technology, combined with all-wheel drive are thought-provoking ideas that may one day find their way into a production vehicle.

Although clearly a member of the same bloodline as the award-winning Sorento, the Cross GT cuts an even more imposing figure. At 122.0 inches (3099mm), the Cross GTs wheelbase is longer than Sorentos by 15.7 inches (399mm), and its overall length of 192.8 inches (4897mm) is 8.4 inches (213mm) greater than Sorento. The 79.1-inch (2009mm) width is 4.9 inches (124mm) wider than Sorento, but the Cross GTs overall height of 65.3 inches (1659mm) is actually 1.6 inches (41mm) shorter, giving the concept a lower roofline than most large CUVs.

The Cross GT is designed to easily accommodate four passengers and their cargo in luxurious surroundings, but the large greenhouse, airy cabin and gently sloping bonnet give the Cross GT a nimble feel thats at home in crowded urban environments.

The Cross GTs sophisticated image is enhanced by the dual rear-hinged doors, more commonly referred to as "suicide" doors. This unique configuration allows for easy access to the rear bucket seats and affords generous views of the Cross GTs premium textures and materials. The cargo compartment is accessed through a "clam shell" design that incorporates a traditional glass hatch and a tailgate.

Use of advanced LED technology creates a strong and unique lighting identity that dramatically highlights Kias signature grille. Letting light into the cabin is a multi-panelled sky light with hexagonal glass inserts that enhance the Cross GTs premium design aesthetic.

Images : KIA CROSS GT Concept


[Source : KIA]

Justin Moon

The Telematics Detroit conference always provides a great opportunity to take the pulse of the automotive connectivity market and understand what key players in the industry are doing — and are planning to do in the next couple of years.

Prior to the show, I had the opportunity to participate in an executive roundtable session hosted by Ernst and Young. The focus was the future of mobile integration and how it will change the market as we know it. The roundtable brought together views from the entire ecosystem, including OEMs, tier one suppliers, software and service providers, dealerships, and, ultimately, the end consumer. It was a great session with a lot of interaction.

Telematics Detroit, Day 1

The Bentley attracted lots of traffic

Okay, let’s go through the event checklist:

• QNX technology concept car based on a Bentley Continental and outfitted with our latest instrument cluster and infotainment concepts. Check.
   
• QNX reference vehicle based on a Jeep Wrangler, rocking a new Qt-based HMI on the QNX CAR Platform for Infotainment. Check.
   
• How about a functional over-the-air software update demo from our colleagues at Blackberry to blow people away? OK, got that, too.
   
• And let’s not forget a demo showcasing the latest in fast boot technology and Android app integration for the QNX CAR Platform. Check, and ready to go.

Inside the Jeep: a new Qt-based HMI

Now we’re set for the show. Day 1 opened with a keynote address on “Winning the Telematics Race”, presented by Thilo Koslowski of Gartner; it set the stage what for turned out to be a great show. Our booth was busy pretty much the entire day — but look at the list above… of course, it was busy! :-)

In addition to great booth traffic, I had the opportunity to participate on a panel on autonomous vehicles and the challenges they present — the discussion was very engaging and it did in fact “drive” traffic to our booth for further discussion. Meanwhile, my colleague Andrew Poliak presented a keynote on HMI trends. To my mind, his talk clearly demonstrated that we are thought leaders in this industry.

The evening brought the annual Telematics and Tonics mixer, co-hosted by QNX and several of its partners: AT&T, NVIDIA, Pandora, Tweddle, and Elektrobit. It was a huge success with well over 300 attendees — standing room only, all night. There were great discussions with great people until the wee hours of the night… really wee hours.

Telematics Detroit, Day 2
Day 2 was busy, busy, busy. Did I mention it was busy? We provided demos galore to OEMs, tier ones, partners — the works. Andy Gryc sat on a panel discussing the ultimate intuitive user interface and knocked it out of the park, as he always does.

The booth was busy until the show closed. We then we put the cars to bed in their shipping truck and headed off to the airport, tired but extremely happy nonetheless.