Editor’s Note
This article covers Kia’s 80th-anniversary celebrations, detailing the company’s historical journey and the unveiling of its new ‘Vision Metaturismo’ concept car.
Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, defined Kia’s limitless potential at its 80th-anniversary event on the 5th, stating, “Kia is a brand with potential like an uncut diamond.” He emphasized that Kia, inheriting the founder’s spirit of challenge, is preparing for a new leap forward.
He also shared his special reflections on Kia, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary.
In the past, Kia faced an unprecedented situation of ‘default postponement’ during the 1997 foreign exchange crisis. It was acquired by the former Hyundai Group in 1998 and became part of the Hyundai business conglomerate. Subsequently, under the leadership of Honorary Chairman Chung Mong-koo, it pursued rigorous quality improvement and brand image transformation, successfully turning a profit just one year after being acquired by Hyundai Motor.
Chairman Chung Eui-sun, who was appointed President and CEO of Kia Motors in 2004, led the structural improvement of Kia as it began its full-fledged leap as a global company. He laid the foundation for ‘Design Kia’ by recruiting world-renowned designer Peter Schreyer for design management.
In 2021, Kia attempted a bold change to transform its corporate image, including its company name, logo, slogan, and brand color. Along with the name change, it also reorganized its business structure to focus on eco-friendly future mobility centered on electric vehicles.
In particular, the Purpose-Built Vehicle (PBV), a customized electric vehicle based on user demand, has been reborn as a model inheriting the heritage of the multi-purpose vehicle ‘Bongo’ that roamed the roads in the 1980s.
On the 5th, Kia unveiled the concept car ‘Vision Turismo,’ which shows the brand’s future direction, at its 80th-anniversary event.
Meanwhile, on this day, Kia also unveiled the concept car ‘Vision Metaturismo,’ which will suggest the direction of future mobility, and its 80th-anniversary corporate history.
Vision Turismo embodies the brand’s vision of dynamic driving and comfortable mobility experience, showing the direction of future Kia vehicles to be released. Kia equipped this concept car with three digital driving modes utilizing an ‘Augmented Reality Head-Up Display (AR HUD)’ to provide an immersive driving experience.
An exhibition space was also set up on the first floor of Vision Square, where the commemorative event was held, allowing visitors to see Kia’s 80-year history at a glance. A total of 17 vehicles were displayed, from the first domestically produced bicycle, the ‘Samcheonri-ho,’ completed in 1952, to the brand’s representative long-selling models such as Sportage and Carnival. In particular, among the detailed exhibition spaces, the theme ‘People and Legacy,’ decorated with the leadership story of Honorary Chairman Chung Mong-koo, who emphasized quality management, drew attention.
Kia also unveiled its corporate history book ‘Kia 80 Years,’ which summarizes its 80-year history. This is the first historical book published in about 30 years since the 50th-anniversary corporate history was published in 1994, and the first record published since joining Hyundai Motor Group.
