Kia celebrates 80 years of history and presents its META vision of mobility

Kia marked its 80th anniversary today during a ceremony held at Kia Vision Square in Yongin, Korea, an event that retraced the brand’s evolution while offering a window into its future with the presentation of a concept born from its META vision, an approach that merges mobility, digital innovation and emotion into one continuous experience

Kia was founded in 1944

The Vision Meta Turismo concept offers a futuristic look at mobility

An immersive exhibition is presented at Kia Vision Square

A celebration focused on the past, present and future

Executives, employees and guests took part in this commemoration where Kia’s founding values, its spirit of determination and its progressive transformation into a global leader in sustainable mobility were highlighted, as Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung and Kia President and CEO Ho Sung Song addressed roughly 400 guests gathered for the occasion.

Euisun Chung explained that “Kia’s 80-year history has been a remarkable journey, an epic narrative. On behalf of Hyundai Motor Group, I extend my gratitude to everyone who has been part of Kia’s 80-year legacy” while Ho Sung Song stated that “Drawing on the lessons learned from compiling Kia’s 80-year history, we will reaffirm the spirit of determination that has driven us since our founding. At the same time, we are committed to preserving and sharing our heritage, including intangible assets, as a driving force for the future”, two quotations that summarize the brand’s desire to celebrate its heritage while firmly looking ahead.

The heart of the ceremony: the META vision and the Vision Meta Turismo concept

The event placed the spotlight on the way tomorrow’s mobility will integrate sensory and digital dimensions, an environment in which vehicles no longer simply transport their occupants but become living spaces where interaction, immersion and perception are integral to the journey. This META approach, which seeks to bring together movement, emotions, technology and space, is perfectly illustrated in the concept unveiled for the occasion, the Vision Meta Turismo.

This vehicle explores three fundamental pillars that express the META philosophy: driving as an emotional experience, digital immersion as an extension of human perception and an interior designed as a mobile lounge where space and technology form a unified whole. The exterior combines soft surfaces and geometric forms in the spirit of Opposites United, while the interior focuses on fluid digital integration to amplify the relationship between the driver, the road and the surrounding atmosphere.

The next-generation steering wheel becomes the centre of this interface, an element designed to transform the experience through three immersive modes – Speedster, Dreamer and Gamer – which rely on augmented reality projected onto an intelligent windshield whose visual elements appear to float above the road, creating a layered environment where the real and virtual coexist.

Karim Habib, Executive Vice President and Head of Kia Global Design, summarized this approach with the following translated quotation: “Le Vision Meta Turismo incarne la vision de Kia qui marie une mobilité dynamique et des espaces entièrement centrés sur l’humain. Il représente l’engagement de Kia à offrir constamment des solutions de mobilité technologiquement avancées ainsi que des expériences qui captivent, stimulent et inspirent”, a statement that perfectly illustrates the importance of the META dimension in this new era Kia aims to define.

An immersive exhibition retracing 80 years of movement

Kia is also presenting an anniversary exhibition titled The Legacy of Movement, open to the public until 2029 at Kia Vision Square, an installation where the brand’s history unfolds through several thematic zones exploring the company’s beginnings, its international expansion, the evolution of its identity, the importance of its key models and its entry into the electric era. Visitors will find historic models such as the Brisa, emblematic vehicles like the Pride, Soul and Sportage, as well as more recent products such as the EV6 GT, demonstrating how the Movement that Inspires philosophy has taken root over time.

A historical journey spanning eight decades

Kia’s story dates back to 1944, when the company was founded under the name Kyungsung Precision Industry, before adopting the Kia name in 1952. Its first mobility product, the 3000-Liho bicycle, marked the start of a long line of innovations that culminated in 1973 with the opening of the Sohari plant, the country’s first integrated automotive production facility. The Brisa, the brand’s first passenger car, debuted in 1974 and paved the way for vehicles that would later become benchmarks, such as the Pride in 1987 and the Sportage in 1993.

The acquisition by Hyundai Motor Group in 1997 set in motion a profound transformation, accelerated from 2005 onward by a design-driven strategy led by Euisun Chung and enriched by the arrival of internationally recognized designers such as Peter Schreyer. Since 2021, the Total Transformation strategy has been steering Kia toward sustainable mobility, where electric vehicles, PBVs and software-based services play a central role.

Creative initiatives linking heritage and META vision

To mark its 80 years, Kia is multiplying cultural and creative initiatives that connect its history to its future, including a collaboration with illustrator Oyow, the publication of a 430-page book retracing its evolution, a video series titled The Portraits of Kia that explores various aspects of its identity through four characters, and a digital platform, Movement Archive, that showcases the models, stories and milestones that have shaped the brand.