Kia has signaled its SUV intentions at the Seoul Motor Show with a pair of concepts it calls a preview of the brand's future design direction. The Mohave Masterpiece goes for rugged luxury, while the SP Signature goes for a cute, funky urban style. Both were unveiled along alongside the Imagine electric concept it debuted in Geneva earlier this month.
The Masterpiece, pictured above, is Kia's crack at making a Jeep: big, bold and brash of grille. The interior is said to go for luxury, while the platform is that of a large, capable AWD off-roader. And we guess, in a world where people can be called a "legend" for coming back from the bar with chips, and the word "epic" can be used to describe bowel movements, Kia is free to call this a "Masterpiece."
The Signature, on the other hand, is a stylish little compact that "heralds the forthcoming arrival of a model for young trend-setters" later in 2019 that is destined for global markets. It features prominent, matte-plastic underbody guards that accentuate the wheel arches, and sharp, thin lines across the front and rear profiles, along with some LED accents here and there.
It looks alright, but Kia will struggle to differentiate itself as a design leader if it can't make something more interesting to look at than Toyota's C-HR – or the uncomfortable sight of Kia President and CEO Han Woo Park standing in the middle of a K-Pop girl band, which we furnish below.
Source: Kia
