Kia Futuron concept previews new electric SUV
The new all-electric Kia Futuron concept has been designed as a 'sports car on an SUV platform'
This is the Kia Futuron concept, a new design study that previews how a future electric coupe crossover from the Korean brand could look. Kia describes the concept as ‘a sports car on an SUV platform.’
The Futuron has quite unique exterior proportions measuring 4,850mm in length and 1,550mm tall. That makes the crossover as long as a BMW X5 but only as tall as a MINI Countryman. The elevated ride height is a customary SUV look, but the slender elongated body is a design more commonly seen on low, sleek saloons or coupes.
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A reinterpretation of Kia’s tigernose grille has been crafted onto the front end, which extends the full width of the SUV and incorporates a long, slim LED light strip and multiple LED units that act as the car’s headlamps.
The name Futuron is a blend of the words ‘future’ and ‘on’; Kia says this references the ‘switched-on’ aspect of electric vehicles.
As such, under the skin, the Futuron is powered by a ‘high-capacity battery’ that is located beneath the floor of the car. Kia says it drives four in-wheel electric motors, which delivers ‘lightening fast’ responses to driver inputs. However, no performance data has been released.
Kia also claims the Futuron features Level 4 autonomous driving functionality, which allows the driver to hand over total control to the vehicle in on-road conditions.
That technology has enabled Kia to design a cabin around its occupants rather than the task of driving. The two front seats can recline into a ‘rest’ position, which mimics the layout of seats in a first-class airline cabin, says Kia, while the steering wheel also retracts into the dashboard.
The dashboard itself wraps around from the driver’s door and into the centre console creating the appearance of a floating arc. A graphical user interface (GUI), powered by artificial intelligence (AI), is projected onto this to avoid having to use fixed physical displays.
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