Kia's baby SUV around the corner

• Full coverage: 2015 Frankfurt motor show

Kia is set to join the baby SUV brigade with a compact crossover to rival the Mazda CX-3.

Speaking with Australian journalists at the 2015 Frankfurt motor show, Kia European design chief Gregory Guillaume says a production model based on the 2013 Niro concept is just around the corner.

"We had a concept car in that segment two years ago exactly here, at the Frankfurt show, it was called the Niro," he says.

"We're trying to say to people 'don't worry, we're working on it and it should be coming relatively soon'.

"You cannot ignore that segment."

Guillaume says carmakers were surprised b the rate of growth in the baby SUV segment.

"I don't want to say it popped up out of nowhere, but it developed really, really quickly," he says.

"The [Nissan] Juke was really the first car in Europe that kind of appeared, and it took a lot of people in Europe by surprise, hoe much success that car had.

"Now of course you have more and more cars in the segment and we'll be there very soon. No worries."

Several carmakers including Holden, Ford, Honda and Renault already offer baby SUVs in Australia. Toyota will join the fray soon with a production model based on its C-HR concept.