Kia dropped a surprise that feels like a heartfelt apology for retiring the beloved Stinger sports sedan in 2023. Meet the Vision Meta Turismo Concept, an audacious design study that celebrates Kia’s 80th anniversary while charting an incredibly radical course for future mobility.
Visually, the Meta Turismo is a gorgeous blend of 1960s long-haul travel spirit and modern aerodynamic madness. The silhouette, reminiscent of the sleek Polestar 5, embodies Kia’s “Opposites United” philosophy with sharp, angular lines defining a wedge-shaped four-door. Design highlights include flush door handles, thin LED accents flowing into the front fenders, and what appear to be camera-based mirror replacements. The windshield seamlessly merges into a vast glass roof that slopes dramatically to boomerang-shaped taillights, completing a muscular, air-flow optimized design.
The real revolution is inside, where Kia has imagined a futuristic, minimalist lounge. The entire cabin seems virtually screen-free, switch-free, and button-free, suggesting that vehicle functions came either through voice command or pure telepathy. A small, smartphone-like screen sits behind an unusually shaped steering wheel, which Kia describes as an intuitive control center.
This control center manages three immersive digital modes that give the car a triple personality. Speedster, focused on performance, Dreamer, enhancing the relaxing lounge atmosphere, and Gamer, transforming the cockpit into an entertainment space.
Instead of traditional screens, the driver interfaces with an Augmented Reality Head-Up Display that projects relevant driving information across the entire windshield, seemingly floating above the road. The interior features asymmetrical seating, ambient lighting, and a joystick-like controller on the armrest, the only physical divider between the driver and passenger.
While Kia remains frustratingly silent about the actual powertrain, the Vision Meta Turismo stands as a bold statement. Regardless of whether it ends up being a pure electric vehicle or a next-generation hybrid, a spiritual successor to the Stinger would undoubtedly be a magnificent addition to the Kia lineup.
