- After teasing it just a couple of days ago, Kia has now revealed initial images of the Vision Meta Turismo concept.
- The styling is unorthodox, with a torpedo-like shape, an ornate glass roof, and fins sprouting from the front end that hold both the headlights and camera-based sideview mirrors.
- Kia says the car focuses on "performance driving" and utilizes an augmented reality head-up display for an immersive experience.
Just a couple of days after Kia teased a wild, futuristic concept car, the Korean automaker has shown its hand. The concept is called the Vision Meta Turismo, and despite the name, it has no ties to the Vision Gran Turismo cars that gamers have enjoyed in the Gran Turismo racing simulator for more than a decade, nor to Facebook's parent company. Instead, the concept celebrates Kia's 80th anniversary while showing what a performance-oriented, sedan-like car could look like in the electric era.
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Kia declares that the concept is "our first bold glimpse into the future of mobility," which, if that is the case, makes us wonder what all of their past concept cars were meant to be. There aren't a ton of details available about the Vision Meta Turismo, and in fact, Kia didn't outright say it is an EV, but we have a strong feeling it's powered by electrons and not gas, based on the design. Kia simply says that it provides "performance driving."
The Vision Meta Turismo pairs "human-centered design with advanced technology," with an augmented reality head-up display that projects virtual graphics onto the windshield for three different digital modes, called Speedster, Dreamer, and Gamer. Kia leaves us guessing as to what these modes actually entail, however.
While technical details are sparse, there is plenty to discuss about the design, which takes the sports sedan and elongates the cabin to create a torpedo-like structure. The hood is extremely short and looks even smaller thanks to a black panel that sits ahead of the long windshield. The headlights consist of two LED strips: a short line angles upward in the bumper, while a longer LED eyebrow flows rearward on an aerodynamic fin that juts from the bodywork like a pair of ears and flows into the side-view cameras.
The roof is one of the most intriguing features, with a criss-crossing array of yellow body-colored bars, blacked-out strips, and angular glass panels. The windshield stretches all the way behind the front doors, creating a canopy effect that looks reminiscent of a fighter jet. The dramatic look is completed by blocky surfacing on the sides, and wide-set taillights that mirror the look of current production Kias, such as the K4.
The interior, in typical modern concept-car speak, is described as a lounge, but still looks oriented around driving rather than relaxing. While the rear bench and front passenger's seat are upholstered in some sort of off-white cloth, the driver's seat, steering wheel, and surrounding dashboard wear yellow leather to match the exterior.
The steering wheel itself is a chunky, hexagonal yoke that protrudes from a floating binnacle. The driver's right armrest features a joystick that could be a gear selector, but also looks like the sort of thing that might launch missiles in a Bond movie.
We can also spot plenty of data projected onto the windshield: a speedometer, a boost level meter, and video-game stats like a score, a global ranking, and a skill level. A small glass panel behind the steering wheel also shows gears and an "M," implying some sort of manual shifting mode. Kia says full information on the Vision Meta Turismo will be released in the near future, and we look forward to learning more about this bold reimagining of the sports sedan.
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Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.
