Opinion

'Kia's name change is unnecessary and the new logo is a disaster'

Mike Rutherford says even Kia is prone to making mistakes

Kia logo opinion

When a troubled motor manufacturer sinks deep into despair as it struggles to sell generally undesirable cars, a triple whammy of new name, slogan and logo may be necessary. Dramatic do-or-die actions are occasionally required in the bitterly competitive automotive world, and if such measures aren’t forthcoming, then troubled companies may die. Sad Saab (RIP) perfectly proves the point.

But Kia Motors is at the opposite end of the scale. It’s in rude health, doing most things right (especially EVs), winning awards (it’s the reigning WCOTY champ) and demonstrating that it’s full of life, positive energy and confidence. There is also tantalising talk of firms teaming up with Kia to exploit its world-class electric motors and state-of-the-art EV tech, including kit that allows vehicles to operate without drivers, riders, pilots or skippers. So far down this path is the company (it had me riding in its driverless cars in Korea decades ago) that there are ongoing conversations surrounding Apple’s long-awaited car being largely based on Kia tech and built by Kia personnel. That’ll seriously miff Korea’s other industrial royal family, the Samsung clan.       

With the above and other Kia positives in mind, I wonder why the firm has just resorted to changing its name, slogan and logo. Kia Motors becoming plain ol’ Kia is in one sense unimportant, but in another hugely significant as it implies the company is no longer designing, building and using motors when it obviously is – and will be for many years to come. True, it made sense when Bayerische Motoren Werke decided to call itself BMW, for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino to become Fiat, and Morris Garages to morph into MG. But changing Kia Motors to Kia is unnecessary and counterproductive as it surely sends a message to some that Kia is not in the business of internal combustion and electric motors – when nothing could be further from the truth.

The new slogan – ‘movement that inspires’ – is, er, uninspiring. Might something like ‘Kia – Keeping It Affordable’ be more meaningful and informative? But if my head tells me the name change is merely unnecessary, and my heart isn’t touched by the nothingy new slogan, my eyes assure me the new logo is a disaster. The beauty of the BMW badge is that it’s 100 per cent clear. Same for the no-nonsense Fiat and MG logos. The latest one from the Korean firm should simply say Kia, yet every time I look at it, I definitely see KN. Put simply, it’s not as easy to read, visually pleasing or classy as the perfectly fine old logo.    

Credit where it’s due, though – over the last decade or two, Kia has been the most improved volume car maker on the planet. But it’s not perfect. And as it’s currently illustrating, it is sometimes guilty of making changes that don’t need to be made. The new chopped-down name, underwhelming slogan and lousy logo prove my point. 

I’m hoping there’s someone out there who can translate from English to Korean the wise old words: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This is a humble one-liner my old, billionaire mate Eui-Sun Chung (now Kia President) needs tattooing on his arm.

Partnership
Need to sell your car?
Find your best offer from over 5,000+ dealers. It’s that easy.

Check out the latest Kia news and reviews here...

Chief columnist

Mike was one of the founding fathers of Auto Express in 1988. He's been motoring editor on four tabloid newspapers - London Evening News, The Sun, News of the World & Daily Mirror. He was also a weekly columnist on the Daily Telegraph, The Independent and The Sunday Times. 

Recommended

"Hyundai and Kia are now leading the way in electrification and design"
KIa EV9 - opinion
Opinion

"Hyundai and Kia are now leading the way in electrification and design"

Editor-in-chief Steve Fowler thinks the success of Hyundai and Kia is a good indication of how the balance of power has shifted in the car industry
22 Nov 2023
Best new cars coming in 2024
Best new cars coming in 2024 - header image
Best cars & vans

Best new cars coming in 2024

There are some big new models from the likes of Audi, BMW, Citroen, Ford, MINI, Skoda and more on the way in 2024
20 Nov 2023
New Kia EV2 could be the little, low cost electric car we’re waiting for
Kia XCeed - Kia badge
News

New Kia EV2 could be the little, low cost electric car we’re waiting for

Kia is rapidly expanding its line up of EVs with a supermini next on the cards
12 Oct 2023
New Kia EV4 is a sleek four-door saloon - but this is just the concept
Kia Concept EV4 - front
News

New Kia EV4 is a sleek four-door saloon - but this is just the concept

Kia's EV Day plays host to a bunch of new models including a precursor to the EV4
12 Oct 2023

Most Popular

UK firm fitting ‘pop bang’ aftermarket exhausts fined in landmark court case
MINI Hatch exhaust
News

UK firm fitting ‘pop bang’ aftermarket exhausts fined in landmark court case

A successful court action against a workshop advertising and fitting non-standard exhaust parts is ‘a lesson for businesses’ from the DVSA
23 Nov 2023
New Renault Scenic 2023 review: the famous nameplate returns in style
Renault Scenic - front
Road tests

New Renault Scenic 2023 review: the famous nameplate returns in style

We get behind the wheel of new all-electric Renault Scenic to see what all the fuss is about
27 Nov 2023
“Renault is taking over as the manufacturer of cars for the people”
Opinion - Renault Twingo
Opinion

“Renault is taking over as the manufacturer of cars for the people”

Mike Rutherford thinks Renault is doing more than any other manufacturer when it comes to making affordable electric cars
26 Nov 2023