Kia will debut its fresh logo before the end of the year. "The new emblem is similar to the one at the Imagine concept car, but it will look a bit different," Kia Motors President Park Han-woo told South Korea's Motorgraph, according to a story translated by The Korean Car Blog. The new badge would allegedly begin appearing on vehicles in October.
In December 2019, the Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Service published a trademark request from Kia that showed the new logo (above). There's a rumor that the company might reserve the new insignia for hybrid and electric models
The Imagine (gallery above) debuted at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show as the brand's concept for an electric crossover. It featured a coupe-inspired exterior shape, and the company covered the body in six layers of chrome silver paint. Inside, there was an array of 21 screens on the dashboard.
The Kia logo on the Imagine uses stark, angular lines for the strokes in each letter. The upper part of the K attaches to the top of the I. The bottom of the I connects to the lower part of the stylized A. In comparison, the existing emblem simply puts a serif on the top of each letter.
Kia design boss Luc Donkerwolke later said that a production version of the Imagine was under development and suggested it would look similar to the concept. Just don't expect there to be the wild interior with 21 screens.
More recent rumors have hinted at the possibility of it being a performance-focused EV crossover. Kia is aiming for a 310-mile (500-kilometer range) and 800-volt battery system that could charge from 20 percent to 80 percent in 20 minutes at a 350 kW DC fast charger.
