 from the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)—one Silver and one Bronze. Two International Design Excellence Awards is a step up for Kia, which earned just one (a Bronze) in 2012 for the Kia Rio. The two winning vehicles this year were […] "'Pin It")
Kia Earns Two International Design Excellence Awards
This year, Kia managed to scrape up two International Design Excellence Awards (IDEAs) from the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)—one Silver and one Bronze. Two International Design Excellence Awards is a step up for Kia, which earned just one (a Bronze) in 2012 for the Kia Rio.
The Kia Rio earned one of the International Design Awards back in 2012.
The two winning vehicles this year were the GT4 Stinger concept vehicle and the 2014 Soul. They took home the Silver and Bronze honors in the transportation category, respectively.
The Kia GT4 Stinger concept
“These IDEA honors are truly a testament to the abilities of the Kia Motors design team,” said Tom Kearns, chief designer, Kia Design Center America (KDCA). “The GT4 Stinger was conceived selfishly, but to great effect: We wondered what it would be like for the California-based design team to execute our vision of the ultimate Kia performance car, with a keen focus on drop-dead-gorgeous exterior styling and unparalleled driving dynamics. As for the Soul, reinventing an icon is perhaps the biggest challenge our team has faced. You have to offer a fresh take without losing the essence of what made the original so appealing. In both cases, we couldn’t be happier with the results.”
The 2014 Kia Soul
The IDEA is meant to signal designs that are innovative and impact quality of life. IDSA looks into more than just automobiles, however; other categories include design strategy, computer equipment, and environments. In total, the society examined 2,000 candidates representing 39 countries.
Both the Stinger and the Soul designs are certainly unique. Perhaps other automakers would benefit from thinking outside the box. As long as no one, for the love of god, tries the Nissan Cube again.
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