Kia revealed today their new Frankfurt-bound concept model, called the Niro. A B-segment contender, Kia Niro Concept was actually designed and developed at the firm’s Frankfurt design studio, less than a kilometer away from IAA venue.

Going with the crossover philosophy, which is a hybrid between a hatchback and a SUV, Kia Niro Concept is designed to undertake a number of tasks. It is fairly compact in size, but it is tall and robust. It has a lot of curves and soft edges, but it also has aggressive angles and big chunky tires to give it the look of an invincible off-roader. It is of course a fake look, but it is cool nonetheless.

There are features that we can’t really make sense of, like those massive gullwing doors which seem really out of place on a car of this type. But hey, it is a show car, and those doors will certainly attract a lot of attention. It is also kind of peculiar that after all these years and all those brilliant designs, Kia has no yet decided on one corporate look. Sure, the front grille is used on a number of their cars with little difference in shape, but they don’t really seem to share many elements. That is of course quite refreshing, but if you look at the range of the world’s biggest car makers, they all have a distinctive look that gives them a certain identity.

Designed in Europe with European tastes and expectations “very much in mind,” Kia Niro Concept will gauge potential customer response for future showroom models at Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA).