Kia is set to join the sports sedan market with its long-awaited GT.

First revealed back in 2011 the GT concept was a turbocharged V6 powered, rear-wheel drive four-door coupe that debuted at the Frankfurt motor show.

But Kia America's head of product planning, Orth Hedrick, has revealed the car is closing towards production readiness.

He also revealed the GT4 Stinger concept, a coupe revealed at the 2014 Detroit motor show, is also still under consideration but is unlikely to get the green light for production.

"They're under development," Hedrick said. "The Stinger we have some more work to do as far as bringing that to market. The market for a coupe is not strong for the length of time needed to get a return on your investment. So for GT we are actively working on that car."

He added: "I think for us the GT is a sedan so it has a lot broader appeal than a two-door coupe. They don't do well here. They do really, really good for 18 months and then they really fall off. You can get just as much emotional experience in a sedan, a more practical car, than a coupe. But it communicates something very, very clear to market with a coupe in your line-up."

Asked when the GT was likely to be officially confirmed and shown off in production guise Hedrick said: "We'll have an announcement soon."

Despite the long gestation period Hedrick is confident that the GT would still make a big impact for the brand, especially in North America.

"…It would communicate a younger, more emotional message to the market," he explained. "I think buyers of those types of vehicles tend to be more engaged with their cars. We tend to prioritise that with our design, with our approach to marketing the cars, the fact that we race vehicles… Our buyers tend to be more passionate."

Kia Australia expressed an interest in the GT when it was unveiled in concept form but is awaiting further confirmation of the program before making any official comment on its likelihood of being offered down under.