Kia at 80: Vision Meta Turismo Concept and Heritage Exhibition

Kia marks its 80th anniversary and, as presented by Kia, unveils the Vision Meta Turismo concept with AR HUD modes. Read the key details and context inside.

Kia marked its 80th anniversary with an event designed to place the brand’s past next to its future-facing ambitions. A ceremony at Kia Vision Square in Yongin, Korea gathered around four hundred guests, including Hyundai Motor Group leadership and Kia executives, and it also opened a long-running anniversary exhibition.

The day’s most forward-looking statement, however, was the Kia Vision Meta Turismo concept. Kia frames it as a symbol of a “new era of mobility,” combining dynamic driving performance with a lounge-inspired cabin, while paying homage to the speed and elegance of long-distance touring in the 1960s. The exterior follows Kia’s Opposites United design philosophy, blending soft surfaces with more geometric elements into a distinctly futuristic silhouette.

Inside, the concept is centered on digital interaction and human–mobility interface ideas rather than conventional hardware talk. Kia highlights a reimagined steering setup intended as a next-generation intuitive driving interface, paired with three digital modes — Speedster, Dreamer, and Gamer — and an AR Head-Up Display approach. The AR HUD concept is described as integrating smart glass so drivers can see virtual graphics appearing to float above the road in three dimensions, with user experiences tailored to different driving environments.

Notably, Kia says it will reveal full information on the concept later, and no technical specifications have been published so far. That absence has shaped early industry coverage: the Vision Meta Turismo is widely treated as a bold design and interface showcase rather than a near-production prototype. With no confirmed details on powertrain, battery, output, or range, the most cautious reading is that the concept functions as a preview of where Kia may take cabin UX, AR displays, and styling cues — not as a promise of an imminent production car in this exact form.

Alongside the concept, Kia opened the anniversary exhibition The Legacy of Movement on the first floor of Kia Vision Square, with plans for it to remain open until 2029. The exhibition is organized into eight themed zones and features 17 vehicles tracing Kia’s evolution from early mobility products such as the 3000-Liho bicycle and the K-360 to modern models, including electric vehicles. Reports also cite the exhibition’s scale at over fifteen thousand square meters, while public access details have not been announced in the available English- and German-language coverage.

The anniversary program also includes a 430-page historical publication titled Kia 80 Years, presented as the company’s first major historical volume since joining Hyundai Motor Group. Information on public availability of the book has not been disclosed in the sources referenced around the event.

Taken together, the anniversary efforts read as a deliberate split-screen: heritage on one side, future intent on the other. The exhibition provides the timeline; the Vision Meta Turismo provides the thesis — that Kia wants its next decades to be defined as much by design and digital experience as by the vehicles themselves.