Today's post features the strikingly styled Kia EV6 (Wikipedia entry here). There's one in the town by where I live, and it looks better in person than some of the images in the Gallery suggest.
Images below are publicity photos from Kia.
Showing posts with label Kia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kia. Show all posts
Thursday, May 16, 2024
2022 Kia EV6 Walkaround
For some reason, I find the styling of many new battery-powered cars more interesting than that of many conventionally-powered cars. Is this a marketing-based strategy to entice potential buyers to the government-demanded future? At the time this post is being written (April, 2024), sales levels of all-electric cars have declined from a year previously. So the distinctive styling does not seem to over-ride the clear limitations of the electric power trains.
Today's post features the strikingly styled Kia EV6 (Wikipedia entry here). There's one in the town by where I live, and it looks better in person than some of the images in the Gallery suggest.
Images below are publicity photos from Kia.
Gallery
Whatever justifies the opening below the bumper has the happy result of suggesting the EV6 might have a radiator up front. Better than those characterless front ends of some other electric cars.
Plenty of angularity up front. But complemented by comparatively featureless sides.
The mid-side character fold is less obvious on the EV6 I am familiar with. That apparent smooth curve from beltline to rocker panel is an important styling feature. I wonder what the effect would be if that dark C-pillar area was silver like its surroundings. Less fussy than the pinched zone seen here, but possibly it would have added a bit too much visual weight.
The interrupted curve from the rocker panel to the tail light assembly is bad aesthetics, but good brand identity. Note how rounded the car's side appears in this photo. Rear end details of this European EV6 differ slightly from those seen in the image below.
Interesting taillight package and related, lower sculpting. The dark zone at the bottom to the rear has little obvious mechanical function. But it nicely prevents the rear being dominated by a sculpted silver blob. That said, its profile does not relate to the sculpting above it.
Another view of the European version. The backlight window is short -- likely marginally adequate for driver's rearward visibility.
The passenger compartment greenhouse is quite low. (Compare to proportions of many 1970s cars.) Note the short overhang on both ends. The wheelbase is 114.2 inches (2900 mm), quite long for a car of its 184.8 (4680 mm) length.
I think the spoke design of the wheels is silly.
Today's post features the strikingly styled Kia EV6 (Wikipedia entry here). There's one in the town by where I live, and it looks better in person than some of the images in the Gallery suggest.
Images below are publicity photos from Kia.
Monday, March 27, 2023
First-Generation Kia Rio
Nowadays I respect Korean cars, especially the Kia brand. That wasn't always so. You see, I spent the better part of a year (1963-64) in Korea on Army duty. Back then, Korea was economically backward, having barely recovered from 1950-53 war damage. I didn't think much of the place, especially in comparison to Japan, which was doing quite well. (I spent a few weeks in Japan attached to the Stars & Stripes newspaper and while on leave.)
As for Korean-made cars, very few were manufactured when I was there, and those were Datsun Bluebirds assembled by a firm later named Daewoo, now defunct. That company was associated with General Motors and, as best I remember, some models were sold as Pontiacs in the USA -- I recall renting a disappointing one once, years ago.
Another Korean car I rented was the Kia Rio (first-generation, 1999-2005). I had just bought a 2005 Chrysler 300, and the dealer needed to do some make-ready work, so they rented me a used Kia Rio for a couple of days.
Styling was satisfactory for a car with a 94.9-inch (2410 mm) wheelbase. Its designer was the Italian I.DE.A Instutute (references here and here).
The problem was that Kia Rios of that generation were mechanically quite basic, almost primitive -- not nearly up to the standard of many contemporary Japanese and European cars of the same size class. Truth is, I hated driving the thing. I thought that for the same price, a good used car would have been better to live with.
The images below are of a for-sale car and otherwise perhaps factory-sponsored photos.
Gallery
As for Korean-made cars, very few were manufactured when I was there, and those were Datsun Bluebirds assembled by a firm later named Daewoo, now defunct. That company was associated with General Motors and, as best I remember, some models were sold as Pontiacs in the USA -- I recall renting a disappointing one once, years ago.
Another Korean car I rented was the Kia Rio (first-generation, 1999-2005). I had just bought a 2005 Chrysler 300, and the dealer needed to do some make-ready work, so they rented me a used Kia Rio for a couple of days.
Styling was satisfactory for a car with a 94.9-inch (2410 mm) wheelbase. Its designer was the Italian I.DE.A Instutute (references here and here).
The problem was that Kia Rios of that generation were mechanically quite basic, almost primitive -- not nearly up to the standard of many contemporary Japanese and European cars of the same size class. Truth is, I hated driving the thing. I thought that for the same price, a good used car would have been better to live with.
The images below are of a for-sale car and otherwise perhaps factory-sponsored photos.
Thursday, August 11, 2022
Kia Amanti/Opiris and Optima/K5
For model years 2003-2012 the top-of-the line Kia was its Amanti/Opiris (names used in different markets). Its wheelbase was 110.2 inches (2800 mm). The design was bland. Seeing one from a block or two away, my first thought often is that the car might be a Mercedes, but on closer inspection the grille bars reveal a Kia.
During the Amanti's production run, Peter Schreyer (1953 - ) was brought in to manage Kia styling. His work was highly successful, in part due to his creation of the "tiger nose" or "tiger mouth" grille frame design, an effective brand identification element.
This is evident on the Kia Optima/K5 line, 2006-plus model years successor to the Amanti-Opiris, having nearly the same wheelbase.
Images below are either factory-sourced or are of for-sale cars.
Gallery
2004 Kia Amanti/Opiris
I suppose the reason I sometimes mistook Amantis for Mercedes at a distance was the shape of the grille and, especially, the headlight scheme.
Nothing wrong with the styling from this viewpoint, but it's not exciting or even interesting.
The same might be said regarding the aft end of the car.
2011 Kia Optima
Schreyer's similar-sized car does feature interest and even some excitement (though I think the wheel cover design is silly). Note the grille with the slightly pinched center area.
Besides the grille, I like the C-pillar styling. The curve extending above the window framing and continuing down to the trunk lid was carried over to the 2016 and 2021 redesigns.
2016 Kia Optima
This redesign retains the character of the 2011 model while revising the front detailing and de-emphasizing the high fender character line.
The softening of the sides was continued at the rear.
2021 Kia K5
The recent redesign has a stronger profile arch, due in part to a sharper hood curve above the grille.
As in 2016, the earlier C-pillar treatment is replaced by a six-window arrangement. The rear sculpting is much fussier than before, though more in line with recent styling fads.
I think the most interesting feature is the chrome strip that extends from A-pillar to A-pillar, wrapping under the backlight window framing.
During the Amanti's production run, Peter Schreyer (1953 - ) was brought in to manage Kia styling. His work was highly successful, in part due to his creation of the "tiger nose" or "tiger mouth" grille frame design, an effective brand identification element.
This is evident on the Kia Optima/K5 line, 2006-plus model years successor to the Amanti-Opiris, having nearly the same wheelbase.
Images below are either factory-sourced or are of for-sale cars.
I suppose the reason I sometimes mistook Amantis for Mercedes at a distance was the shape of the grille and, especially, the headlight scheme.
Schreyer's similar-sized car does feature interest and even some excitement (though I think the wheel cover design is silly). Note the grille with the slightly pinched center area.
This redesign retains the character of the 2011 model while revising the front detailing and de-emphasizing the high fender character line.
The recent redesign has a stronger profile arch, due in part to a sharper hood curve above the grille.
Monday, March 8, 2021
Two More Lookalikes
Back in 2015 in a post titled "Styling by Wind Tunnel" I presented side views of nine sedans, all from different makers, that had similar profiles. My thesis (that I often repeat) was that designers are forced by government fuel efficiency regulations to use shapes determined by wind tunnel tests. Not surprisingly, the "best" shapes emerging from wind tunnels around the world are essentially the same.
Today's post is a brief follow-up. I was in Hawaii in January and noticed two rental cars parked down the street from where we were staying. One was a Chevrolet Malibu, the other a Kia Optima. Both were painted white, and they looked surprisingly similar.
My photos are below.
Gallery
First a side view. The Kia is in the foreground, the Chevy at the rear.
This is the view that prompted me to take these photos. Rear spoilers and taillights are practically the same shapes. And the remaining details are not very different.
Today's post is a brief follow-up. I was in Hawaii in January and noticed two rental cars parked down the street from where we were staying. One was a Chevrolet Malibu, the other a Kia Optima. Both were painted white, and they looked surprisingly similar.
My photos are below.
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Putting Lipstick on a Pig: Three Generations of the Kia Soul
Your Loyal Blogger considers the Kia Soul to be a truly ugly automobile. It started out ugly, its facelift was ugly and the recent design retains the uglyness.
The Wikipedia entry for the Soul is here. As of the time this post was drafted, that site held that there were three generations of Souls. I consider the second "generation" a facelift, but for the purposes of the present post I'll go along with Wikipedia.
Dates for "generations" refer to model years when the Soul versions were introduced in the United States.
The images below are either factory or distributer sourced.
Gallery
2012 Kia Soul dashboard, factory photo via the NetCarSow website. A car might be ugly when viewed from outside, but owners mostly experience such cars from the inside. This interior is rather busy looking, but not out of line with contemporary fashions.
2014 Kia Soul dashboard: same sources, same evaluation.
2020 Kia Soul dashboard. The paired binnacles create a uneasy feeling for me. This probably is because they are almost, not not exactly, the same size and shape. The centrally mounted one needs to be reshaped or reduced in size.
2012 Kia Soul side view. The most distinctive Kia design feature, in place from the beginning, is its sloped, flat roof. I hate it.
2014 Kia Soul side view. It seems to be the same body as for the previous "generation."
2020 Kia Soul side view. Aside from some changes in side sculpting, the underlying body still seems to be the same as the original. However, the wheelbase did increase by about 30 mm per "generation."
2012 Kia Soul front quarter view.
2014 Kia Soul front quarter view. The most noticeable change is the hood: note especially the side cutlines in these two images. Other detail changes include minor front end reshaping and the headlight assemblies.
2020 Kia Soul front quarter view. Again, some reshaping that continues the original frontal theme while conforming to recent styling fads. Please note the area around the top of the A-pillar in this image and the two previous ones, especially the roof's transition from radius to flat. The shaping looks identical, again calling into question whether the original body was completely replaced between "generations."
2012 Kia Soul rear quarter view.
2014 Kia Soul rear quarter view. The aft was completely redone for 2014, though the tail light theme was retained.
2020 Kia Soul rear quarter view. The aft cutline of the rear side door is slightly different. Again the rear was given substantially restyled detailing, edging further into the currently popular jazzy looks.
In summary, I do not know for sure if the 2020 Soul retains significant parts of the original body. Perhaps readers more familiar with the cars then me can offer a definite answer. And if the 2020 body is indeed a complete redesign, it is clear that Kia stylists made a strong effort to retain its signature roofline while adding flashy detailing of the kind often seen on Japanese cars.
The Wikipedia entry for the Soul is here. As of the time this post was drafted, that site held that there were three generations of Souls. I consider the second "generation" a facelift, but for the purposes of the present post I'll go along with Wikipedia.
Dates for "generations" refer to model years when the Soul versions were introduced in the United States.
The images below are either factory or distributer sourced.
In summary, I do not know for sure if the 2020 Soul retains significant parts of the original body. Perhaps readers more familiar with the cars then me can offer a definite answer. And if the 2020 body is indeed a complete redesign, it is clear that Kia stylists made a strong effort to retain its signature roofline while adding flashy detailing of the kind often seen on Japanese cars.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Squared-Off Small Cars
Once upon a time, starting around the mid-1930s, stylists tried in most cases to design cars to look aerodynamic. In all cases, this meant abandoning the boxy body styles of the 1920s, cars becoming curved or rounded. But fashions eventually stale, so from the mid-1960s into the mid-1980s, a sharp-edged look became fashionable. Those sharp (or "crisp" as I often put it) edges didn't mean that cars looked box-like; rather, they usually looked airy or light, and sometimes even lean and mean.
But something happened in Japan and perhaps in its California styling outposts during the first decade of the 2000s, a virus that then spread to Korea. Some seriously square designs appeared on small cars. The look was funky and not especially aerodynamic. But then, who needs aerodynamics when driving the streets of Tokyo or Yokohama, as my foggy memory of 1960s taxi rides there confirms.
Shall we take a look?
Gallery
2004 Scion xB
Scion is a brand name used by Toyota in North America for entry-level cars that presumably have appeal to young buyers. Scions come in a variety of configurations, one of which is the xB, a sort of crossover SUV. The version shown above was marketed in the 2004-07 model years. Its styling is severe, and boxy in the extreme.
2002-08 vintage Nissan Cube
The Nissan Cube has a more whimsical look, an aspect driven home by the asymmetrical, wraparound rear/side window design.
2012 Nissan Cube
Its 2009 redesign continued the character of the original Cube, but applied some rounding and deepened the windows' inset. The car remained quite boxy despite these funk-enhancing changes.
2012 Kia Soul
Over in Korea -- Actually California, where Kia stylist Mike Torpey, according to this Wikipedia entry -- got out his straightedge and crafted the lines of this small crossover SUV. To my surprise, the Soul has sold fairly well in spite of its odd appearance.
I really dislike the styling of all of the cars shown above. I suppose a critic married to the religion of functionalism might praise the "purity" of the xB, and others might point to this or that detail on the Cube or Soul. But to me, these designs are ugly and silly, not serious.
But something happened in Japan and perhaps in its California styling outposts during the first decade of the 2000s, a virus that then spread to Korea. Some seriously square designs appeared on small cars. The look was funky and not especially aerodynamic. But then, who needs aerodynamics when driving the streets of Tokyo or Yokohama, as my foggy memory of 1960s taxi rides there confirms.
Shall we take a look?
Scion is a brand name used by Toyota in North America for entry-level cars that presumably have appeal to young buyers. Scions come in a variety of configurations, one of which is the xB, a sort of crossover SUV. The version shown above was marketed in the 2004-07 model years. Its styling is severe, and boxy in the extreme.
The Nissan Cube has a more whimsical look, an aspect driven home by the asymmetrical, wraparound rear/side window design.
Its 2009 redesign continued the character of the original Cube, but applied some rounding and deepened the windows' inset. The car remained quite boxy despite these funk-enhancing changes.
Over in Korea -- Actually California, where Kia stylist Mike Torpey, according to this Wikipedia entry -- got out his straightedge and crafted the lines of this small crossover SUV. To my surprise, the Soul has sold fairly well in spite of its odd appearance.
I really dislike the styling of all of the cars shown above. I suppose a critic married to the religion of functionalism might praise the "purity" of the xB, and others might point to this or that detail on the Cube or Soul. But to me, these designs are ugly and silly, not serious.
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