Kia has marked its 80th anniversary in bold style by unveiling a glimpse into its high-tech future – the striking Vision Meta Turismo concept.
The low-slung, gold-painted, four-door fastback was the star of the brand’s celebratory event at Kia Vision Square in Yongin, Korea, and is designed to show where Kia’s thinking is heading for performance and luxury in the age of electrification.
The Vision Meta Turismo looks like nothing else we’ve seen from Kia – its closest relative being the long-gone Kia Stinger sports saloon. The concept’s sleek, cab-forward proportions and dramatic geometric surfacing echo the brand’s ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy, which blends soft curves with bold lines and technical precision.
The gloss-black roof and vast glass canopy flow into muscular haunches, while the low nose and near-enclosed wheels hint at the aerodynamic efficiency you’d expect from an electric performance car of the future.
Inside, the concept is just as radical. The Vision Meta Turismo aims to reimagine the relationship between driver, passengers and machine, with a cabin that takes inspiration from a lounge rather than a cockpit. A minimalist dashboard, floating display surfaces and panoramic augmented-reality windscreen deliver what Kia calls an “immersive digital interaction”. It’s an interior that claims to be as much about calmness and space as it is about speed and connection.
The steering wheel itself is a talking point – a futuristic, rectangular controller that combines next-generation haptic feedback with a new type of digital interface. It can shift between three modes – called Speedster, Dreamer and Gamer – with each mode transforming the AR head-up display to match the driver’s mindset, projecting real-time graphics that appear to float above the road. It’s a bold vision for how performance driving might feel when physical dials and switches are replaced by smart glass and holographic overlays.
Kia’s head of design Karim Habib said: “The Vision Meta Turismo embodies Kia’s vision that integrates dynamic mobility and human-centred spaces. It is an expression of Kia’s commitment to continually bring technologically advanced mobility and experiences that engage, stimulate, and inspire.”
The Vision Meta Turismo wasn’t the only star of the anniversary celebrations. Kia’s 80-year journey was showcased in an expansive exhibition themed ‘The Legacy of Movement’, featuring 17 vehicles across eight curated display zones. These ranged from the 1940s 3000-Liho bicycle to the brand-new PV5 electric van and the high-performance EV6 GT.
Euisun Chung, executive chair of Hyundai Motor Group, said Kia’s history “has been a remarkable journey, an epic narrative”, while Kia president and CEO Ho Sung Song emphasised that the company’s determination “will reaffirm the spirit of challenge that has driven us since our founding”.
Kia promises more details on the Vision Meta Turismo “in the near future,” but for now this futuristic gold-hued model stands as the ultimate birthday present to itself – a symbol of 80 years of engineering expertise and a brand unafraid of reinventing itself.
