Kia's new small SUV will be called 'Stonic'

By topgear ,

Kia Stonic Render 1

It follows the design and functional idioms of its bigger Kia SUV brothers, but packages it all up inside something that’ll sit in the Ford Fiesta class of cars. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a cartoonish render of the all-new Kia Stonic.

Yup, Stonic. It is, according to Kia, an “eye catching and confident compact crossover” (read: small SUV) that’s geared towards the more pimpled side of the car-buying demographic. And, as cartoonish renders go, it looks pretty fly.

It’s familiarly Kia all round, while inside we’re told it’s been focused around tech and ergonomics. It may be small, but Kia promises great packaging for all occupants, while up front there’s a ‘floating’ screen that allows smartphone accessibility and so forth. No pictures of the inside have yet been revealed, so we’ll have to wait and see.

Kia Stonic Render 2

Not too long though, because it’ll go on sale later on this year. Engines? Again, no word, but considering its dimensions (it’s a B-segment car), expect ones similiar to those fitted in the new Rio: a range of small units, ranging from 1.0-litre petrols, through 1.25- and 1.4-litre versions with up to 100bhp, and a few small diesels too.

Oh, and about that personalisation bit: Kia promises that this new Stonic will be the most customisable car it’s ever built, “both inside and out”. Which sounds fine, but please, just go easy on the options.