The VG is a front-wheel-drive sedan that has been handed the significant task of lowering the manufacturer's median purchasing age in North America, which currently hovers around 50 years old. To achieve this, Kia is making a departure from the current Opirus/Amanti, which the VG is set to replace in less than a year.
Considering its FWD package, the design basics of the 4950mm-long VG - its overall profile, stance and proportions - are outstanding. It displays a healthy DLO-to-bodyside proportion, visually short front overhangs created by a heavy tapering of side surfaces from the wheelarch to the front, and 20-inch alloy wheels anchoring the corners.
True to Kia's new ‘simplicity of straight lines' design philosophy, the main bodyside character line is robust (though somewhat monotonous) with a textbook undercut shoulderline that runs from the taillamps to the front door section, but which ends with a dip, losing its altitude and tension in the process.
At the front, Kia's distinctive family look is prominent, with much of the design language being shared with the Forte and the new Sorento R. The graphic boundaries of the front lower side intake support the slim horizontal headlamps by sharing the same ‘entry point'. However, as on many production-ready concepts, the designers have avoided radical changes to the overall design, doing just enough to enhance the main styling features. Kia designers have also done a poor job of disguising the VG's production status; judging by the concept's door hinge mechanisms and pressed sheet metal body panels, this car is very close to the final product.
Color and trim designers have tried to add some excitement to the interior design by combining high-contrast colors such as milk white and pearl black with a brushed aluminum center console. But design appears to have taken a back seat here, and the overall theme is unclear. Details such as the BMW i-Drive-style rotary control are now outdated, and an inability to gain access to the interior on the press day made it impossible to gauge the VG's true design value.
Until now, the Renault Samsung Motor Alliance (it would much rather be called RSM) has been largely perceived as a company that does the things the ‘easy way', displaying out-of-date Renault concepts at the last few Seoul shows. This year however, RSM presented not one but two bone-fide world premieres: the SM3 and the tiny eMX.
Executive managing Director of RSM Design, Christophe Dupont, told us that the concept car was first conceived during a blue-sky creative thinking session in which the designers were allowed to think freely without worrying about engineering restrictions. The standout design that emerged from that process was then taken from an initial theme sketch to finished show car in just over four months. Considering that the model has a proper interior - which was developed in an even shorter timeframe - this achievement is quite remarkable.
Penned by two comparatively inexperienced female designers (in automotive terms), the main design concept of eMX was to appeal to the affluent single female in their 30s - an ever growing population segment in Korea that's been dubbed ‘Gold Miss'.
The exterior design of the eMX is round and ‘bubbly', with no hard edges visible anywhere and a friendly demeanor. While some elements - the front face, rocker and the rear skirt in particular - look loose and lack tension, the unusual use of contrasting black-and-white themes and aluminum detailing holds the design elements together.
The interior theme of ‘continuous wave and swirl' also shows plenty of promise. A large chunk of the center fascia - whose main volume is finished in white - is horizontally dissected, giving the driver a visual openness as well as creating significant space for the instrument cluster and upper IP. The lower navigation screen flows in a different direction to other cars, its 'floating' surface angling down and away from the driver. The eMX was the biggest surprise of the show, no question.
Albeit a concept, the HND-4 (Hyundai Namyang Design 4) ‘Blue-Will' is the first-ever plug-in hybrid vehicle from Hyundai. At a glance, the overall volume of the car is visually much larger than its dimensions - 4300mm long, 1800mm wide and 1460mm high - indicate. This can be directly attributed to the massive front bumper surface, which begins under the grille and runs all the way to wrap around the wheelarches, and its boxy, solid profile.
While its graphic details are well resolved - three-dimensional taillamp forms extend horizontally like a fighter jet wings - the work done in getting the basics of the stance, proportion and profile correct has been somewhat undone by complex details that lack an anchoring theme. The unique X-graphic, which is meant to be the main bodyside character of the car, generated plenty of interest, but many of the designers we spoke to felt it was too complicated, being an ornament rather than a bona-fide design feature. It appears abruptly around the rear and suddenly nosedives its way to connect to the front wheelarch volume, visually increasing the already heavy frontal aspect. Interesting features such as the thin tapered surface around the rear door shut line and the DLO, which runs up all the way to the roof, could have worked out better had Hyundai's designers spent more time developing them.
With ‘digital flow' as a design keyword, the interior is loaded with hi-tech features, including an ultra-thin Transparent Organic Light Emitting Diode display (TOLED) that reduces the cluster volume to a minimum. But too much focus seems to have been put on technology to the detriment of design: most of the interior is either made up of flat screens or derivative shapes thereof. The Blue-Will's interior might have had worked better had its designers applied the ‘digital flow' theme to the vehicle's form language.
While the recent success of the Genesis and Genesis Coupe in a tough economic climate is undeniably boosting Hyundai's brand credibility, it is perhaps the new Equus sedan that stands to benefit most from this recent upturn in the company's fortunes. The flagship luxury sedan has been designed to reclaim well-heeled 40-to-50 year old Korean male consumers who prefer conservative styling, most of whom purchase cars from European luxury brands.
As with many contemporary vehicles, the automotive styling basics - proportion, profile and stance - of the third-generation Equus are greatly improved. Measuring 5160mm in length and less than 1500mm high, it is much lower to the ground and has a sportier aesthetic than its classic three-box predecessor. Designers have also pulled the windshield forwards by a staggering 30mm to create cab-forward profile - a big gamble which has paid off, helping to create a sportier stance. The side is defined by Hyundai's version of the ‘sweep spear' bodyside character line seen on the Buick Invicta, though it appears slightly stiffer visually.
Despite these positive aspects of the design, the body volume and surfacing lack refinement. The negative shoulder - introduced to visually sharpen the design - has ended up taking too much shoulder width, subsequently flattening the body volume and making the car look slightly frail when seen from the front. The deep scoring around the hood shutlines looks unnecessary too.
The interior, developed with a ‘horizontal layout with spacious interior' theme, features a well laid-out design that neither offends nor attracts. The metallic tone defining the middle section of the interior has been supported well with real wood, which covers the width of the crash pad.
With exports of the US$75,000 Equus being considered for China and the Middle East, and the next-generation Sonata and Tucson due out in the latter half of 2009, this could well be the year when Hyundai comes of age.
Ssangyong Motors, former subsidiary of Shanghai Automotive, has had a nightmarish beginning to 2009, with plummeting sales, bankruptcy, the SAIC Group's waiver, and even an accusation of industrial espionage surfacing within the last three months. Through all that though, the company has progressed with the development of its ambitious C200 - a car that has moved a lot closer to production since it was first shown at the Paris Motor Show last year.
Best known for its wide SUV/CUV range, Ssangyong has created its first ever monocoque crossover in the form of the C200. Created to rival the Hyundai Tucson, Honda CR-V and Kia Sportage in Korea's domestic market when it arrives later this year, the C200 was designed by ItalDesign/Giugiaro in Italy and displayed in ‘ECO' and ‘AERO' guises at the show.
First impressions of C200's design were defined as ‘safe' by many of the designers we spoke to. Unlike the brand's Kyron and Actyon siblings, the C200 is much more refined and restrained in terms of its design. It displays solid proportions and balance, with the overall form resembling that of a fire hydrant on wheels. Feature lines have been kept to a bare minimum, with only a slight kick around the rear wheelarches deviating from the tried-and-tested.
The C200's front end shares many design cues with that of its big brother, the Chairman W, which in turn was influenced by the previous-generation Audi A4. The graphic boundaries of the fog lamps resemble blossoming leaves, an interesting feature which is both different and entirely production-feasible.
On the interior, it looked as if the designers lacked a clear vision of which direction to take. The overall surface structure of the design is classic SUV, with a dash that drops down almost vertically creating a tough, no-frills look, but this is contrasted by soft-looking details such as the steering wheel and switchgear. Ssangyong desperately needs a halo model right now to help lift it out of crisis mode, but we're not sure that the C200 is the car for the job.
Renault Samsung's design center, which is located in Gihung (just outside Seoul), has been responsible for a number of significant works, most notably the production version of the Koleos SUV launched in 2008. But the SM3 that debuted in Seoul must rank as its most significant to date.
Standing tall above the center turntable and facing away from the assembled crowd, the SM3 made quite an impact when it was unveiled. The RSM PR people and designers would neither deny nor confirm their intentions, but it was immediately clear that this car was styled for a much broader market than Korea.
Claimed to be the longest vehicle in its class, at 4620mm in length, the SM3 is a good-looking car with a nice, solid profile. The roofline, with its deck point pushed back and up, gives the vehicle a sporty image while maintaining the definitive sedan look that many Asian markets prefer. The bodyside characterline begins at the front headlamps, makes a simple wave and then hits the low point just below the base of the A-Pillar, wrapping around the whole body without a break to generate a simple yet refined look. Like the side, the graphic boundaries of both the front and rear lamps are generic; the rears in particular remind us of the Ford Mondeo's.
Realizing that sedan variants of hatchback designs that are popular in Europe seldom find favor in Asian markets, Renault Samsung has come up with a highly convincing contender that could entice customers away from more established brands like VW and Ford.
As a car that Kia hopes will not only hold its own against domestic rivals but will also take the brand up a step in terms of perceived quality in North America, the Sorento R SUV took center stage at the company's Seoul show stand. The public reaction, however, was less than overwhelming.
With SUVs a tough sell in the current economic and environmental climate and sister brand Hyundai going all out to promote its Elantra LPI hybrid and the Blue-Will fuel cell concept right next door, Kia was left looking flat-footed at the Korean event.
Like the Kia Mohave, the first impression of the Sorento R is one of design ambiguity, with the front, side and rear sharing similar yet clashing features. The overall styling stands somewhere between Land Rover's Discovery 3 and Chevrolet's Equinox, with attempts to toughen up the design with hard edges and robust surfaces around the side and rear being compromised by a benign, soft-looking face.
The exterior of the Sorento R features an interesting shoulder surface; with a 3-dimensional extension of the DLO-to-body volume creating a unique yet naturally formed trapezoid character when viewed from side-on. Sharp scoring around the rocker panel generates visually speed, and the rear - defined by deliberately crude-looking taillamps - supports the overall theme well. The same cannot be said of the front end, however, whose slimmer and sleeker-looking forms and single-volume headlamp/grille arrangement looks quite out of place.
The interior is better resolved, featuring a layered theme and a top surface that forms a distinctive cross shape, developing good depth and full volumes.
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