Brick to the Future: Kia EV6 Made From 350,000 Legos Took 800 Hours to Build

Kia found a unique way of expressing its vision of sustainable mobility – it built a 1:1 scale model of an EV6 out of Lego bricks for the Milan Design Week. The message is simple yet powerful: “The future of sustainable mobility is built ‘brick by brick.’”

Milan Design Week brings the world design industry to Lombardy, with several design events taking place in the city. This year, it will start on April 18 and end on April 23. Automakers are also participating in the event to showcase how they see the automotive design of the future.

Regardless of age, Lego bricks are easily recognizable. Whether you’re a fan of Legos or not, it’s still impressive to see an entire exhibit made of them, especially since so much work is involved. BrickVision, an Italian company founded by Italy’s only Lego Certified Professional, Riccardo Zangelmi, spent more than 800 hours and used 350,000 Lego bricks to build the EV6 for Kia Italy. BrickVision carried out the project over a four-month span and even fitted the model with a functioning lighting system, making the front and rear lights work like in the actual car.

The assembly process was documented in a video on the Kia Italy YouTube channel. You can see the different phases of the project – not only does building the model take a long time, but there’s significant preparation and conception behind it. The model was initially built as a 3D virtual model to ensure it’s structurally sound. By the way, imagine being a Lego Certified Professional – these people are surely living their childhood dream, turning their passion for Lego building into a full-fledged, paid job.

BrickVision created the exhibit with an awe-inspiring level of detail – in fact, if you squint your eyes while looking at the pictures showcasing the entire car, you might even think the model is the real deal instead of just a Lego structure, especially when the lighting comes into play. Even Kia’s badges are spot-on.

The EV6 is the first of 15 fully electric models Kia has planned by 2025, and it’s built on the E-GMP (Electric Global Modular Platform) architecture. Hyundai, Kia’s mother company, recently announced it plans to become one of the world’s top 3 EV manufacturers by the end of the decade. Kia will soon release the EV9, a futuristic three-row SUV that will be able to fit up to seven occupants.

Using a play on words inspired by the famous movie “Back to the Future,” Kia found a clever way of marketing the EV6 while hinting at its plans to become an electrified brand. After being displayed at the 2023 Milan Design Week, the “Brick To The Future” exhibit will be moved to the Kia Energy House in Rome.