Kia has no plans to follow its parent company Hyundai into a creating a performance arm or a luxury line.
But, despite the company's silence in the subject, it's on track to introduce a rear-drive sporty saloon to Australia by the end of 2017 or early 2018.
Speculation is rampant across many sources that the mysterious car, known unofficially as the GT and powered by a 3.3-litre twin turbo V6, is in a mature stage of its development.
The four-door Kia, slightly smaller in size than the local Commodore and Falcon, will use the same platform and probably the same powerful engines as the forthcoming Genesis G70 sedan seen at the New York Motor Show, where it was touted as a rival to the likes of the Mercedes C-Class, Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series.
The so-called GT will become the brand's new flagship and carry a price tag which may yet creep from around $40,000 to above $50,000, making it pricier than the Optima GT which starts at $43,990.
Officially, all Kia Oz is saying about the GT is that it would welcome the idea of such a car, which will be built in left- and right-hand drive.
Damien Meredith, the Chief Operating Officer of Kia Motors Australia, has alluded to the lack of a hero car in the line-up and concedes he would love to sell a car of this positioning and spec.
He also believes there is a keen group of Australian motorists who would love to drive a car with greater emphasis on sportiness than the luxury approach of the Genesis.
He describes such a car as "sports prestige" and badge snobs need not apply, apparently.
The GT has been seen testing in California and the Nurburgring, and beneath the camouflage appears to have mix-and-match styling taken from two much-admired concept cars, the GT4 Stinger and four-door GT.
A local launch at the 2018 Kia-sponsored Australian (Tennis) Open would appear to make a lot of sense, to maximise impact.
Kia has also made no secret of its wish to add a small SUV to its local line-up as a rival to the likes of the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V and it has confirmed such a (B-segment) vehicle is officially in development.
Does that mean we'll see it in Australia? "We'd love to have one, but it would have to come with the right engines and drivetrains," said Kia Motors Australia spokesman, Kevin Hepworth.
We do know the Niro, another small SUV hybrid, will not be sold here.
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