We’re going to play a quick game where I give you clues about a new car and you have to guess what it is:

First clue: Rear-wheel-drive, two doors, and powered by a four cylinder pumping out around 300 horsepower
– 2015 Mustang, right? Nope.

Second clue: Under 3000 pound curb weight and a six speed manual transmission
– Ok, ok, I’ve got this one: Subaru BRZ or FRS with an aftermarket turbo kit? Guess again

Third and final clue: Make in Korea
– Wait, WHAT?

Yup, say hello to the Kia GT4 Stinger.

Ok, I’ll admit that I cheated a little as the GT4 is still a concept car without an official production date or even confirmation that it will be produced, but the fact that Kia lists a curb weight of 2,874 (Which is a very precise number to be throwing around for a concept car) is a good indication that a production vehicle hopefully very similar to this concept will be announced in the near future.

Listen, I know that it’s a freaking Kia and that historically Korean-made vehicles have had the resale value of a used tissue within five years, but it is now the year 2014 and as Bob Dylan wrote, the times they are a-changin’.

I’m not saying that you should go out and buy a GT4 if it’s actually produced, but instead that it’s yet another warning shot across the bow for the rest of the automotive world in regards to their performance offerings in the low to mid $20k range.

So what’s in this “Cheap thrills” range, which I am defining as under $25k base?
Sticking with cars that are rear wheel drive and marketed as performance vehicles, I see a few other options:

– V6 Ford Mustang (Potentially the Ecoboost inline-four as well when it is released)
– V6 Chevy Camaro
– V6 Challenger (Little bit over $25k, but I’ll include it to be fair to all of the Big Three)
– Subaru BRZ/FR-S twins
– Mazda MX-5

The Twins and MX-5 are lighter than the three V6 pony cars that can arguably be called competitors due to their similar price points, with Ford, GM, and Chrysler combating the weight deficit with horsepower. End of the day, unless you’re specifically looking for a go-kart to toss around corners, the majority of potential buyers will look at the three Japanese cars, notice that they all have less horsepower than a late model Camry, and sign the paperwork for a Camaro or Mustang.

However, if the GT4 really does have anything close to 300 horsepower out of the gate, it’s a potential game changer.

Doubting that the Kia GT4 Stinger is a game changer and could shake things up? Let’s ponder over it a little: Kia is owned by Hyundai, a company which has made huge leaps and bounds in regards to quality and resale value, along with offering a $70,000 sedan which even Lohnes will admit doesn’t suck (Read his thoughts on it HERE) and a pretty competent chassis in their Genesis platform. More importantly, unlike most car companies that seemingly resort to “Stylized shoebox on wheels” design for most vehicles under $30k, the Koreans say, “You know what? Our halo car, the Veloster, in regards to design is going to look absolutely nutty, but it’s also under $20k. What up?” Seeing as this is a Kia and the Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0L turbo is already priced just under $25k, I wouldn’t be shocked to see a production car for closer to $20k, if not less, just to attract buyer interest and steal a few sales.

Sure, at that price point it almost definitely won’t come with a 300 horsepower engine, but I’d bet that it’d be close, especially if they use the same basic engine as is offered in the Kia Optima turbo.

Even without the ridiculous “I had a drunken fling with an Audi” head lights, wraparound glass, and funky transparent a-pillars that would never make it into production, it’s still a wild-looking car, especially in orange. Just check out this profile:

If looking at the photo above doesn’t stir some sort of emotion in you, whether it be anything in the range from desire to disgust, check your pulse. Even if you hate anything that isn’t American-made, the fact that a “budget tier” manufacturer is showing off something like this should be acknowledged, especially by all of the folks over at Ford, Chrysler and GM. Seriously, that is one really nice design.

I know that the Mustang and Camaro are both selling like ice on a hot day, but who’s buying those cars new? Here’s a hint: It’s not the guys and girls in their twenties and thirties, the ones that had to deal with the terrible hand-me-down domestics of the 80s and 90s as their first cars, the ones that could care less about the brand loyalty developed in Michigan decades earlier thanks to being stuck on the side of the road one too many times in their 1989 Cutlass Ciera. Nope, they’re not the ones shopping for a new Mustang to get their cheap speed thrills while also paying off their massive student loans, not when the current MEDIAN age of a Mustang buyer is 51. FIFTY-ONE. People dog the Corvette as being an old man’s car, but the pony cars aren’t much better in that regard, sad but true.

Kia and Hyundai are without a doubt coming in as the inexpensive option in the market, but that doesn’t mean that their performance cars can be discounted just because Ford and GM are hitting sales records while competing to see who can fill up the local Golden Corral parking lot first. This is how market disruption works, my friends: Come in at a lower price point with a product that may not quite be up to the quality of the established players, eat market share while continuing to improve the product, and BOOM, you’ve turned everything on its head. Don’t believe me? Look at where the Mustang was in 1964. Cheap, light, and fun with a good amount of power. Sound familar to the specs for this concept from Kia?

Again, the point is not that we should all go write letters to Kia demanding that the GT4 Stinger make it into production, but I do think that someone needs to wake the Big Three up and let them know that there’s trouble brewing in the form of new competition from both the expected (Subaru, Toyota, etc) and the unexpected (Hyundai and Kia) and that the new Mustang and Camaro really need to step up their game in order to justify their added expense and weight. Even if this Kia never materializes, the BRZ/FR-S duo are selling well and will without a doubt see an increase in power to better compete with the domestics in the near future. Subaru may still claim that an increase in power would destroy the balance and purpose of the car, but they’re in the business of making money, and horsepower sells.

Personally, if the Kia GT4 Stinger came out tomorrow exactly as pictured, I’d be in the parking lot of the nearest Kia dealership at dawn waiting for a test drive and to inquire about favorable loan terms. I’d also have an appointment scheduled with the local body shop for a badge delete from the front and rear; Why? Because I wouldn’t actually want anyone to know that I bought a Kia…Some things never change.