The Next Level of Kia´s Design Revolution: All-new Optima

The Next Level of Kia´s Design Revolution: All-new Optima


Exterior Design Story
These are exciting times to be a member of the Kia Design Team. We have the opportunity to shape our brand through the creation of outstanding design statements with many new projects in succession, with the rapidly changing global awareness of Kia.

We set our internal benchmark for design quite high. Our recently launched products like Sorento, Cadenza, Venga and Sportage are already emotional “must have” products with strong global appeal; they demonstrate Kia´s amazing transformation towards being a design driven brand. These cars are strong statements of Kia´s holistic design approach and of our increasing focus on design and feedback integration. To go forward in this new direction, we rely heavily on comments from the media, consumer groups and our customers to make better products for Kia´s future.



In this regard, it was clear that the Optima/Magentis successor must again raise the bar to a higher level. With the new Optima, we have created a product that people previously would not have expected from Kia and that’s exactly what we set out to achieve!

When we started working on the all-new Optima, we created a ‘mood wall’ with images of inspiring cars. This ‘wall of fame’ consisted not of cars which most of our customers would have in their minds when dreaming of midsize sedans, but rather of inspiring cars which have set the benchmark in automotive design.

From the beginning it was our clear intention to design an outstanding car that would influence the future mood walls of other design studios.