Kia Keeps Getting Funkier

Kia Keeps Getting Funkier

Has anyone else noticed Kia keeps getting funkier? And to reinforce their new too-cool-for-school status, Kia has just released an out-of-this-world concept car, aptly named 'POP', at the uber-cool Paris Motor Show.

The POP is pure design + technology = fab with a futuristic shape that would make even the Jetson's drool. Think oblong-shaped side windows, front-hinged doors, a striking side-window design; high-tech, dot-pattern head and tail-lights; back-lit front grille, full-length glass roof, Alessi-esque wheels and even rear-view cameras in each door.

On the inside, you'll find a purple interior (eat your heart out Prince!) with a small piece of plexi-glass in front of the steering wheel featuring a Transparent Organic LED (TOLED) display for speed, battery charge, and the other main readouts when the car is running. Otherwise it's completely transparent.

To the right of the steering wheel there's a sculpted, chrome-looking panel that features just one lone button, with every other function under the sun (audio, sat-nav, climate control, etc.), all controlled via a modernistic animated touch screen.

The front seat is a sculpted bench, complete with stylish flowing lines, while the rear seat is positioned at an offset angle, resulting in a fair amount of legroom for such a little car. Designed to accommodate a single passenger, this love-seat is a 2-part affair, with a base that flips up when not in use, along with a backrest and a head restraint integrated into the headlining.

As for the green-factor, the POP is a fully-electric, zero-emissions car. It's powered by highly efficient, compact lithium polymer gel batteries and is fully rechargeable in just six hours!

The POP concept was designed by Kia's European design team under the direction of Kia's Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer, and Kia Europe's Chief Designer Gregory Guillaume.

"A concept car like the POP could only have come from Kia," explains Guillaume.
"Designers very rarely have the opportunity to start from a clean sheet of paper and it's great to be in a position to operate with such freedom."

By: Juliet Potter from www.autochic.com.au and www.motherdriven.com.au