As you may have heard, Kia’s controversial Tasman pickup hasn’t been selling well in Australia or elsewhere. The company went as far as to openly admit that it may need to rethink its product strategy. Enter Kia Vision Meta Turismo, a vehicle that the Korean automaker hopes will help it regain market share.
It’s just a design study at this point, meaning we don’t know anything about the powertrain or even body style specifics. The images make it look like a four-door single-space car (minivan?) with crumpled-looking sides and only four seats in the cabin. The front end features an almost solid trim panel, there is no radiator grille in view, and the headlights are combined with rear view cameras in rather futuristic-looking raised units. The lack of visible air intakes or tailpipes makes us suspect it’s an EV.
Interior is where things get downright bizarre. Starting with the steering wheel, it’s shaped like a slightly rounded rectangular yoke with a tiny opening in the middle – good luck holding on to that in an emergency. There is a joystick-shaped control arm at the tip of the armrest, and most of the dashboard seems to be projected onto the windshield (although some of it seems to be on an inexplicable outcropping right above the wheel). Long story short, it looks like a mess.
Earlier rumors made us believe Kia was working on a new Stinger hot hatch or at least a replacement, but the Vision Meta Turismo frankly doesn’t strike us a sports car. It’s unclear which of its features may later trickle down to the company’s mass-market cars, and when.
