Kia Stonic design sketches revealed

Kia has released design sketches previewing its new Stonic crossover ahead of its world debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September. The Nissan Juke rival will be closely related to the new Hyundai Kona, which is also due to be revealed at Frankfurt.

The design sketches reveal the Stonic's chunky, Rio-inspired look and intricate rear light clusters. The front-end design is far removed from that of the Sportage, suggesting a different aesthetic direction for the brand's future models.

Our sister publication Autocar UK had unearthed the 'Stonic' name in trademark filings earlier this year. Kia claims that the car offers a level of customisation options unprecedented on any Kia model before it, on both the interior and exterior.

The Stonic is tipped to share engines with the Rio, given the two cars' shared platforms. This means 1.0-litre three-cylinder, 1.25-litre and 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engines, and a 1.4-litre diesel for higher-end cars will be offered, with specs ranging from entry-level 1 to range-topping 3 and GT-line cars. It won't get four-wheel drive anywhere in its range.

After exploring an entry into India for several years, Kia Motors, the sister brand of Korean carmaker Hyundai, recently announced its foray into the country. Kia will build a manufacturing facility with an annual capacity of 3,00,000 units in Andhra Pradesh starting later this year. It signed a memorandum of understanding with the state government for the construction of the greenfield plant. Read more on that here.