With an attractive, compact design, Kia’s Vision Meta Turismo Concept offers lounge-like space and comfort for all passengers.
Kia is looking for a successor to the attractive Stinger rear-wheel-drive liftback sedan. It was in production from 2017 to 2023. While the all-electric Kia EV6 GT is often seen as a spiritual successor to the Stinger and is superior in many aspects, it lacks in establishing a strong emotional connect.
Although it’s not official, it looks like the Vision Meta Turismo concept, in its production form, could serve better as a successor to the Stinger. After showcasing the concept in Korea last year, Kia has now showcased it at Milan Design Week. Let’s see the details.
Vision Meta Turismo Concept – Design and Features
With the Vision Meta Turismo concept, Kia has focused on three primary objectives – performance, spacious interior and advanced digital experience. The concept is based on Kia’s ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy. Karim Habib, executive vice president and head of Kia Global Design, said the Vision Meta Turismo is fundamentally a combination of bold design and advanced technology.
The concept showcases Kia’s vision of the future of mobility, where the overall experience will be much more fun and engaging than simply reaching a specific destination. Key exterior highlights of the concept include lightsaber-style distinctive LED DRLs, a blacked-out clutter-free grille, aero-optimized alloy wheels, a massive curved glass roof, L-shaped tail lights and a layered rear bumper.
interior design, equipment
With its single-piece glass roof that integrates the front and rear windscreens, the Vision Meta Turismo opens up panoramic views of the outside world. This setup greatly increases the feeling of spaciousness. Safety should not be a concern as the glass roof sits on strong web-like support structures.
The seats seem to be inspired by sci-fi spaceship designs. The driver’s seat has been designed to enhance focus on the road, in addition to ensuring optimum comfort. It features mesh fabric for airflow and a lightweight frame that caters to performance driving. The front passenger seat features lounge-like seating posture and 180 degree rotation.
A high level of gamification of the driving system can also be seen. The steering wheel is inspired by gaming controllers, and it allows users to choose between digital experience modes of Speedster, Dreamer, and Gamer. The selection will be based on user preferences and driving environment. Other interesting features include a joystick virtual gear shifter.
It serves several purposes such as recreating the feeling of changing gears and creating virtual engine sounds and vibrations. These functions help in achieving a stronger connection between man and machine. The concept also comes with ‘button’ launch control and a GT Boost button. This unlocks the full power of the EV to provide instant acceleration.
launch timeline
Kia has not revealed when the Vision Meta Turismo concept will enter the production stage. For now, this remains very much a mission in progress. However, Habib said that they are working on getting the concept ready for the assembly line and for sale.
