Photo: Kia
In addition to the XCeed, Kia has another surprise in store for the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. The electrified concept doesn’t have a name for the time being, but it sure looks bolder than anything the South Korean automaker launched in the past handful of years.
The most striking design element is the lighting system up front, which appears as if someone’s watched Tron: Legacy on repeat. A futuristic machine with video cameras mounted high on the A-pillars instead of side mirrors, even the Kia badge up front is illuminated by LEDs.
Penned at the European design center in Frankfurt, Germany, the one-off concept is described as “the visual embodiment of our desire to move forward in the exciting world of electrification.” Read that again, and “exciting” seems exaggerated in this context considering thiat Kia hans't anything simialr to a Performance model from Tesla or e-hypercars such as the Aspark Owl.
To be unveiled on March 5th at the Swiss automotive show, the all-electric concept “not only answers consumer concerns around range, performance, recharging networks, and driving dynamism, but to also signpost our holistic and emotional approach to electrification.”
Gregory Guillaume, vice president of design for Kia Motors Europe, also mentions “goose bumps when you look at it” and “make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when you drive it.” There’s no denying Kia is getting ahead of itself, more so if you remember the Soul EV and e-Niro are nothing close to the designer’s description.
At the end of the day, don’t forget that PR tends to go overboard when it comes to concepts. Automakers feel entitled to promise anything they feel like without taking responsibility of putting those promises into production.
More worthy of mention is the font of the badge up front, featuring a different logo from anything that Kia used until today on both concepts and production cars. This could be a preview for an all-encompassing revamp, the sign of things to come for everything from the Picanto city car through the Telluride eight-seat crossover utility vehicle.
Penned at the European design center in Frankfurt, Germany, the one-off concept is described as “the visual embodiment of our desire to move forward in the exciting world of electrification.” Read that again, and “exciting” seems exaggerated in this context considering thiat Kia hans't anything simialr to a Performance model from Tesla or e-hypercars such as the Aspark Owl.
To be unveiled on March 5th at the Swiss automotive show, the all-electric concept “not only answers consumer concerns around range, performance, recharging networks, and driving dynamism, but to also signpost our holistic and emotional approach to electrification.”
Gregory Guillaume, vice president of design for Kia Motors Europe, also mentions “goose bumps when you look at it” and “make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when you drive it.” There’s no denying Kia is getting ahead of itself, more so if you remember the Soul EV and e-Niro are nothing close to the designer’s description.
At the end of the day, don’t forget that PR tends to go overboard when it comes to concepts. Automakers feel entitled to promise anything they feel like without taking responsibility of putting those promises into production.
More worthy of mention is the font of the badge up front, featuring a different logo from anything that Kia used until today on both concepts and production cars. This could be a preview for an all-encompassing revamp, the sign of things to come for everything from the Picanto city car through the Telluride eight-seat crossover utility vehicle.
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