Inside Kia's GT division: Why its cars are fun, not fearsome

Kia’s GT lineup is being positioned as performance that’s “fun, not fearsome,” even as the brand expands quickly. The story visits Hyundai Motor Group’s Namyang R&D facility in South Korea and discusses how Kia’s young performance sub-brand has grown to 10 stand-alone derivatives in just over a decade, including GT versions building across electrified models such as the new PV5 minivan. R&D boss Manfred Harrer says technologies like artificial “Virtual Gear Shift” are meant to amplify the driving experience, not replace it. The article compares power outputs across new GT electric models—641 bhp for the EV6 GT, 502 bhp for the EV9 GT SUV, and more conservative figures like 302 bhp for the EV5 GT and 286 bhp for the EV4 and EV3 GT—suggesting Kia’s approach stays more everyday.