Could the Kia Vision Meta Turismo concept be a preview for a future halo sedan?

Kia’s presentation at the recent Busan International Mobility Show was more than just the updated PV5s. For the first time, the Kia Vision Meta Turismo concept was shown off to the general public, and it’s one heck of a statement that the brand is making for its future cars.

And yes, while the car was technically revealed in Korea last December during the brand’s 80th anniversary celebrations and shown off at the Milan Design Week last April, those two events aren’t as accessible to the public as an international motor show.

The Kia Vision Meta Turismo is a more engaging take on the Opposites United design language, featuring a very sleek grand tourer shape that pays homage to 1960s long-distance touring, with a wedge-like profile that’s been popularized on several concept cars recently.

It has a mantis-like face that’s inspired by fighter jets with very sleek LED headlights, but that front end slowly transitions to soft-flowing curves with a glass canopy, then goes back to a sharp tail end that also benefits aerodynamic efficiency and high-speed stability.

This sleek design language can also be seen in the interior, which embraces modern interactive technologies for the driver-oriented cabin.

This is evident by a distinct seat and dashboard layout for the driver and passenger, with the driver’s seat being highlighted in yellow, with an ultra-slim instrument cluster, and an interesting layout with a joystick-style virtual gear shifter, a prominent button for launch control and boost, and a dial that allows for different adjustments for the car’s different drive modes.

These “Experience modes” are named Speedster, Dreamer, and Gamer. Speedster helps enhance the sensation of speed by utilizing the wide-angle augmented reality heads-up display, lighting, and sound effects to help immerse the driver.

Dreamer is activated within urban environments, and utilizes the heads-up display for the driver and augmented reality glasses for the passenger, and uses “virtual layers” to help make the environment around them engaging and immersive.

Finally, Gamer is unique, essentially turning the entire car into a shared gaming experience. You can have a virtual racing experience with the heads-up display and steering wheel, or utilize an external projector to share games with friends.

Concept cars are usually meant to preview technologies that will eventually trickle down to other consumer cars, or serve as an early look at an upcoming model. While Kia hasn’t said anything about powertrain specs, one can hope that this will be a return for an international halo model. Perhaps a future Kia Stinger?

^{Photos from Kia}