Kia always likes to celebrate its milestones with concepts that pave the way for the future of automotive design and technologies on the inside. This week is the South Korean brand’s 80th anniversary, and predictably, they’ve gone to the lengths of materializing a concept that is one of the most impressive from their design studio.
Called the Vision Meta Turismo concept, the sports sedan is not merely a design exploration; it’s their “first bold glimpse into the future of mobility.” The car was unveiled at the Kia Vision Square in Yongin, South Korea, and the future iteration of the electric vehicle (most likely it’s not going to be gasoline-powered) will be dubbed EV8. Just like the EV5 and EV6, this one is based on the Opposites United design theme, and by the look of things, is the spiritual successor to the Stinger. Vision Meta Turismo revitalizes three core experiences: performance driving, immersive driving, and spacious interiors.
Designer: Kia
Kia is categorizing the concept as a performance driving vehicle, even though they’ve not shared many technical details, we assume it is a serious contender for their premium electric lineup sometime in the future. On the outside, the car has a very sharp silhouette with soft geometric elements on the surface and natural lines. This fuses well with the aerodynamic elements like the vertical fins and embedded air channels for optimized airflow, which are inspired by the touring cars of the 1960s. A short hood is contrasted with the long, torpedo-like, elongated shape for a spacious interior that is ultra-comfy. LED strips on the front blending into the nose section edge out of the main frame, while the taillights have a more muted setup reminiscent of the current-gen electric vehicles.
On the inside, the sports sedan concept has an airy lounge-inspired cabin encapsulated in a panoramic windshield that extends to the rear like a modern fighter plane. For a dynamic look, there is a crisscross support pillar running from the A pillars that visually segments the front and the rear sections. The concept car has an upholstered driving seat, while the other seats have an upholstered off-white cloth material skin. The driver-focused interior has a matching hexagonal yoke steering wheel with gear shifters, and the dashboard is done in the same premium leather finish. The lower section of the windshield displays all the vital driver’s information in the AR Heads-Up Display (HUD). All these elements, according to Kia, “reimagine the next-generation intuitive driving interface.”
The concept has three driving modes: Speedster, Dreamer, and Gamer, which are not detailed by Kia and, in a way, are self-explanatory. Not much has been revealed by Kia, which hints that the probable EV sedan, having a long wheelbase and low profile, is going to manifest in some way as a production-ready vehicle. We are more than eager to learn more about the Vision Meta Turismo, and are sure of the fact that Kia is future-serious about this prototype.
