It really has been a half-decade since Kia unveiled its fabulous GT concept, and it's been three years since the company pretty much confirmed that a production version would see the light of day. A kissing cousin of the Genesis G70—which is to say it's in the neighborhood of BMW's 3-series in size and intent—the soon-to-arrive GT will be known as the K8 in its home market. Now, what looks to be a photo of a production car has surfaced over at Kia-World.net.

The Genesis G70 is slated to arrive sometime in the middle of next year, but the Kia could beat it to market. We'd expect the GT to start a bit below the G70 price-wise, given the premium positioning of the Genesis marque. Under the hood, a turbocharged gasoline four-cylinder likely will power the lower-end models, while the uplevel variant of the GT should get a version of Hyundai's fine 3.3-liter twin-turbo V-6 (which in the G90practically obviates the need for the 5.0-liter V-8). Diesels will be available elsewhere in the world, but they almost surely won't reach our shores.

Expect rear-wheel drive at launch, although given the Snowbelt's demand for AWD everything, all the time, we wouldn't be surprised if four driven wheels arrive soon thereafter. While it's not quite as svelte and sexy as the GT concept, it fits firmly in line with the Korean brand's current design language, visually bridging the gap between the K900 and the Optima. Further details are sure to emerge as we get closer to what's likely to be a 2017 Detroit auto show debut.

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