Kia unveiled its latest concept car at the Paris Motor Show. The new KCV-II showcases the direction that Kia is heading in terms of styling and technology.

Aimed at youthful car owners, with an active lifestyle, the Kia KCV-II matches a flexible seating system and open pick-up load bay to a chassis capable of road car handling and light, or soft off-roading.

The KCV-II is really a fun car to go out with your friends to have fun and enjoy the sun, said designer Carlos Arroyo.

It is aimed at drivers who want the practicality and command driving position of a sports utility, but want their car to drive like a car while being an affordable package.

Arroyo's concept was picked from an in-house competition held among staff at Kia1s European design studio in Frankfurt, Germany.

A multinational team of designers pushed the concept to reality.

Powered by a 3.5-litre V6 engine mated to full-time four-wheel drive, Kia's innovative sport utility is underpinned by an all-new platform.

This is a unitary-construction platform with flexible body architecture capable of supporting a number of body styles, from a conventional sports utility vehicle to a lifestyle variant, such as the KCV-II.

The car also introduces a significant number of technical innovations that will be expected to be seen on future Kia hatchback, saloon and sport utility models.

These include safety features such as advanced airbags, tyre pressure warning sensors, active headrests and emergency brake assist.

Other technical features new to Kia include keyless entry, photochromatic glass and an integrated satellite navigation system.

"We have created the car to European proportions," says Arroyo, "and picked-up elements from motorcycles, furniture design, architecture and consumer products to make a fusion of different design elements."

Founded in 1944, Kia Motors Corporation is Korea1s oldest manufacturer of auto-mobiles.

A part of the Hyundai Automobile Group, the company currently exports around 600,000 vehicles a year through a network of distributors that covers 160 countries. Contact: Chippenham Motors, Lyneham 01793 890331