Late last year, Kia started to show off the Vision Meta Turismo concept. The spiritual replacement for the Stinger GT was a sharp-looking electric grand tourer that was both a preview of the company’s future designs and a possibility for production. Now a new video takes a look at the process of making the concept a reality, but it also shows off an even cooler station wagon variant.
Kia’s Concept Might Spawn More Than One Cool New Car
Kia vision meta turismoKia
Earlier this year, CarBuzz got an up-close and personal look at the Meta Turismo, which is not some sort of Facebook traveling roadshow. Our man described it as having “a blunted, wedge-y front overhang that could’ve come out of Bertone in the 1970s.” At that time, company design boss Karim Habib said that “we are still trying to make that happen” when it comes to production.
The new video goes back into the studio to feature Habib speaking about the process of designing a car like that, along with Kia’s Euro design boss Oliver Samson and other designers. They spoke about the Meta Turismo being designed for a new generation of customers and how they created the interior materials and extra experiences focused on what the designers are calling the “gamer generation.”
Then, suddenly, a pair of scale models pop into frame. The two are on a designer’s desk, alongside sketches of the Meta Turismo. They’re both clearly from earlier in the process, and neither one is quite what made it to the final concept, but it’s the one closes to the camera that has our full attention.
Is This A New Kia Wagon?
Kia Vision Meta Turismo ConceptSeyth Miersma/CarBuzz/Valnet
It’s a car with many of the same design features as the concept, but with one huge difference. Instead of dropping off sharply behind the rear doors, this one stays upright. It’s a wagon, or shooting brake, depending on how you want to look at it.
A deep cut into the doors gives it the appearance of something taller; a crossover or SUV. But the overall height and ratio with the wheels here are much more car-like than that. Kia’s current slate of SUVs share a similar design that is far more rugged and SUV-forward than this.
The biggest challenge for this car, in sedan or wagon form, is that the premium electric vehicle market just isn’t there right now. At least not in North America, and especially not for Kia. No matter how good it looks, going after Porsche, BMW, and now even Range Rover, is going to be a tough sell sitting beside a K4 or a Seltos on dealer lots. Still, it looks great, so here’s hoping the company can make a go of it.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters
Kia Vision Meta Turismo Concept Interior View Front SeatsKia
Kia clearly wants some sort of halo car, even after the short-lived Stinger GT sedan’s sluggish sales. The Meta Turismo concept could be that model, and clearly the company is still trying to make it work somehow. Adding body styles to the car, like a wagon – or, more likely, a sleek crossover – is a way to help make it possible and acceptable to the accountants.
