Photo: kelsonik / Instagram
Although both debuts occurred in other places than North America, the Kia EV5 and Sorento SUVs are also relevant for the US market. So, that means they are also going to spice up things across the aftermarket realm. But first things first.
Just before the craziness of August kicked off with the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe, 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ, Monterey Car Week, Caravan Salon Dusseldorf, and Overland Expo West, plus today's Alfa Romeo supercar, the end of July marked the introduction of Kia's mid-cycle refresh for the mid-size Sorento SUV.
Those who saw the exotic 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe that had its world premiere in Santa Fe, New Mexico, probably expected its platform sibling to be a little more daring. But keep in mind this is just a facelift, not an all-new model, as opposed to its sibling. Still, we are getting significant modifications to make it fresh and ready for the competition – starting from 2024 in America, too, most likely.
Most changes occurred at the front, where everything is quite interesting – a new grille, repositioned brand logo, and T-shaped vertical headlights with LED DRLs. Meanwhile, the side profile is the same, but with new alloy wheels, and at the rear, we can see new graphics for the taillights. All in all, it is not bad – but also some things can be definitely improved.
Moving on, August also had an extensive Kia hero introduction, but Western markets mostly overlooked the premiere. That is because the 2024 Kia EV5 electric crossover SUV broke cover in China at the Chengdu Motor Show as a family-oriented model with daring looks inspired by the flagship EV9 rather than its immediate sibling, the EV6. Curiously, it slots right between the EV6 and EV9 rather below the two of them, and its main rival is pretty straightforward – Tesla's best-selling Model Y.
However, count on the imaginative realm of digital car content creators to give them the proper spotlight. Nikita Chuicko, the virtual artist better known as "kelsonik" on social media, for example, thinks now is the right CGI time to fuel our Kia tuning dreams and worked his magic on both.
First, the new Kia Sorento was restyled with the author's signature 'Shadow Line' transformation, where all chrome ornaments get redressed in dark gray or black to make it a monochromatic assembly. It looks subtly better than the real deal – but that is also due to the new, aftermarket wheels that are considerably larger than the OEM fixture.
Secondly, the pixel master also dabbled with the Kia EV5, which also got the chrome-delete CGI treatment along with two new body colors to present a powerful contrast to the light blue of the launch version, as well as a couple of aftermarket-type wheels. So, which of these tuned 'dream' SUVs is your favorite?
Those who saw the exotic 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe that had its world premiere in Santa Fe, New Mexico, probably expected its platform sibling to be a little more daring. But keep in mind this is just a facelift, not an all-new model, as opposed to its sibling. Still, we are getting significant modifications to make it fresh and ready for the competition – starting from 2024 in America, too, most likely.
Most changes occurred at the front, where everything is quite interesting – a new grille, repositioned brand logo, and T-shaped vertical headlights with LED DRLs. Meanwhile, the side profile is the same, but with new alloy wheels, and at the rear, we can see new graphics for the taillights. All in all, it is not bad – but also some things can be definitely improved.
Moving on, August also had an extensive Kia hero introduction, but Western markets mostly overlooked the premiere. That is because the 2024 Kia EV5 electric crossover SUV broke cover in China at the Chengdu Motor Show as a family-oriented model with daring looks inspired by the flagship EV9 rather than its immediate sibling, the EV6. Curiously, it slots right between the EV6 and EV9 rather below the two of them, and its main rival is pretty straightforward – Tesla's best-selling Model Y.
However, count on the imaginative realm of digital car content creators to give them the proper spotlight. Nikita Chuicko, the virtual artist better known as "kelsonik" on social media, for example, thinks now is the right CGI time to fuel our Kia tuning dreams and worked his magic on both.
First, the new Kia Sorento was restyled with the author's signature 'Shadow Line' transformation, where all chrome ornaments get redressed in dark gray or black to make it a monochromatic assembly. It looks subtly better than the real deal – but that is also due to the new, aftermarket wheels that are considerably larger than the OEM fixture.
Secondly, the pixel master also dabbled with the Kia EV5, which also got the chrome-delete CGI treatment along with two new body colors to present a powerful contrast to the light blue of the launch version, as well as a couple of aftermarket-type wheels. So, which of these tuned 'dream' SUVs is your favorite?
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