Hot News: Does Kia Plan to Show V8 Coupe Concept at Frankfurt Show 2011?

What’s Korean for pony car? According to a recent report from the U.K. publication What Car? Kia is set to step into the spotlight at the coming Frankfurt and Detroit auto shows with—get this—two separate rear-wheel drive, V-8 powered coupe concepts.

Ever since Hyundai revealed the Genesis coupe, rumors have been flying about the possibility of Kia getting a similar car for its lineup (the 2008 Kia Kee concept is pictured), but it looks like Kia wants to take it a step further. According to What Car?, Kia head Hank Lee admitted the need for something like a powerful, V-8 coupe, saying the company needs halo model to draw more customers into its showrooms. As the Genesis coupe has, a Kia sports coupe could provide a challenger for the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger.

It is possible coupe concepts will be based off of the long-rumored, rear-drive K9 sedan that is expected to slot above the Optima in the Kia lineup. The K9, which is coincidently also supposed to debut at this year’s Frankfurt Auto Show, is expected to be a slightly smaller than the Hyundai Genesis sedan.

As for what’s powering the two new Kia coupe concepts, the likely answer is the Tau V-8. While the Hyundai Genesis and Equus can be paired with either the 4.6 or 5.0-liter versions of the Tau, Kia has only used the 4.6-liter in the past under the hood of the Borrego SUV. It’s likely the the two Kia coupe concepts will be powered by the 4.6-liter version of the Tau, especially since that’s what Kia PR representatives hinted at. Under the hood of the Borrego, the 4.6-liter Tau produced a healthy 337 hp. In Hyundai Genesis form, the same V-8 produces 385-hp and 333 ft-lb of torque. We’re inclined to believe that in order for the Kia Coupes to be true pony car competitors, its output will be towards the higher end of that scale.

While we won’t know more about the Kia coupe concepts until the runup to the September’s Frankfurt and January’s Detroit shows, we want to know what you think of Kia’s rumored plans. What would the Kia coupes have to offer to get you out of your Mustangs, Camaros and Challengers? Which V-8 do you think Kia will put in its coupes? How much horsepower will they make? Let us know in the comments below.

Thanks to: Motor Trend