A high performance GT model has been unveiled by Kia and with a top speed of 167mph it will be the fastest car produced by the Korean brand to date.

It is based on the company’s GT concept car, the Stinger, and whilst final developments are still underway, Kia has announced that it intends to release the Stinger before the end of the year.

The rear-wheel-drive car is slightly longer and wider than an Audi A4 and will be available with either a 2.0-litre four cylinder engine developing 255bhp or a 3.3-litre twin turbo V6 with 365bhp on tap. Kia says it is targeting a 0-60mph sprint time of 5.1 seconds.

Both powertrains are longitudinally mounted and mated to an eight speed auto box. Paddle shifters and a five-mode drive system will also be fitted allowing the driver to alter the car’s dynamics.

The Stinger is a four-door, five-seater fastback which has been designed at Kia’s European styling centre in Frankfurt under the direction of design chiefs Peter Schreyer and Gregory Guillaume.

The technical development has been masterminded by Albert Biermann who joined Kia from BMW in 2014 and said:  “I think, for the Kia brand, the Stinger is like a special event. Because nobody expects such a car, not just the way it looks but also the way it drives. It’s a wholly different animal.”

The V6 Stinger will feature 19-inch alloys and will include Brembo brakes for additional stopping power. The 2.0-litre version will sit on 18-inch wheels as standard.

An all-wheel-drive variant is also planned and Kia has fitted the Stinger with a rack-mounted power steering set-up to deliver improved driver feedback.

Another first for Kia is a driver fatigue monitor while other driver aids include lane departure and blind spot monitors, adaptive cruise control, rear traffic alerts and an anti-collision system with pedestrian detection.

There is a display screen in the centre of the dashboard, plus a head-up display which shows sat nav, speed and blind spot information directly into the driver’s line of sight.

Prices will be announced later in the year but early estimates suggest the Stinger will be in excess of £40,000 for the V6 version.