Kia to turbocharged Koup

Kia Cerato Koup

Kia is gearing up to inject some excitement into its sleek Koup.

The Korean brand is set to finally install sports car performance in its two-door coupe with sources close to the company indicating the next Cerato Koup due in 2013 will be turbocharged.

The Koup is expected to get the same 1.6-litre turbocharged engine as the three-door Veloster Turbo recently unveiled by Kia's parent company, Hyundai.

That means around 155kW of power and 265Nm of torque (up from 115kW and 194Nm with the 2.0-litre engine), which in the Veloster Turbo translates to a sprint from 0-100km/h in a sprightly 7.5 seconds.

The Koup should follow the Veloster Turbo's lead in bypassing the six-speed dual-clutch auto that is available with non-turbocharged version of the 1.6-litre engine because it's unable to handle the increased power outputs of the uprated engine.

Instead, the choice of a conventional single-clutch six-speed auto and a six-speed manual are the likely choices.

Read more: http://news.drive.com.au/drive/motor-news/kia-to-turbocharge-koup-20120518-1yv1g.html