At the Seoul Motor Show this year, Kia introduced various concept cars and new cars (all-new Rio, all-new Picanto, etc.) which were recently showcased at international motor shows.
However, the true heroes at the Kia booth were the K5 (known as Optima in some regions) Hybrid and ‘Naimo’ electric crossover vehicle.
The Kia Press Conference began at 9:20 in the morning, and a lot of reporters were busy trying to get a good spot. Peter Schreyer, Chief Design Officer of Kia, explained the design concept of Naimo, and immediately afterwards the red silk veil was removed from the car. It was hard to capture the wonderful moment of unveiling as so many people stood up to take pictures. Naimo wears the color of Korean celadon, jade green, which represents the beauty of Korea. It was quite attractive. Like POP, another Kia electric concept car, the front grill was designed with LEDs. The A pillar and roofline design reminded me of Soul.
Following the reveal of Naimo, a children’s choir began to walk down from upstairs after a brief video introduction, and in the middle of their song, the second hero of the event, K5 Hybrid, began to descend. K5 Hybrid, the first parallel type full hybrid car of Kia, stopped on the main stand, and the reporters began taking pictures.
After the Press Conference more pictures were taken of the concept car Naimo. Its overall design has a ‘cute’ look to it. However, since it has 20-inch alloy wheels and low height, its stance is very confident and sporty. The interior is very simple. The 2-spoke steering wheel is adorable, and a tablet PC (to be released by LG) is located on the center console. Korean oak was used for the door trim, and it does not have a B-pillar which will help to get in and out easily. The asymmetrical sunroof was also charming. In particular, as Hanji (traditional Korean paper handmade from mulberry trees) was used, it felt like it could be environment-friendly.
As for the interior, the space looked modern and comfy at the same time. This Naimo is a very meaningful concept car to Kia. Kia’s design has been received very favorably both at home and abroad. Optima and Sportage’s recent winning of the Red dot design award and the iF design award proves that. Find out more on Kia cars on Kia Menlyn.