If you’re like me, you were a little excited that the sporty-seeming electric car Kia has been teasing for the Geneva Motor Showfor a couple weeks would turn out to be some sort of electrified future Stinger concept. Instead of that, it’s an awkward crossover coupe.
Honestly, it’s my fault for expecting too much. It should be obvious at this point that most automakers are going to jump into the mass-production EV game with smaller-segment crossovers, to secure as many buyers as possible because that’s what hot these days.
And that’s what the “Imagine by Kia” conceptis supposed to be. That’s right, the official name of this car is “Imagine by Kia,” just like that, with no comma or anything.
But the name fits, because the concept itself is fairly imaginary. Kia didn’t release any performance specifications, so we don’t know how big the battery is, how many motors it has, how powerful it is, or what the range could be. But it has 21 screens!
Advertisement
Instead, it’s more of a design concept, to show the world that Kia’s EVs won’t all look as boring and regular as the Kia Niro EV (which we recently reviewed). Instead, the “Imagine” has some decent styling flourishes, like a sporty and aggressive “tiger nose” fascia that lights up completely, and Stinger-inspire taillights with a line cutting into the rear fenders, just like on the Stinger sports car.
The problem is these sporty design elements have been stretched onto a crossover body. Kia designers tried to blend “elements of a muscular SUV, a sleek and athletic family saloon, and a versatile and spacious crossover,”and the result is a car that seems very confused.
Advertisement
I feel like, if split up and approached individually, Kia could apply this design language to an SUV, crossover and sedan and make something that looks pretty damn good. So maybe the future will be alright.
It just seems like they saved a bit of money and made just a single concept.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Leave a Reply
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
