Kia has scored a notable success at the iF Design Awards 2024, where five distinct elements of the company's recent programmes were recognised by a panel of expert judges from the prestigious design forum.
The new award-winning Kia EV9 has added another gold award to its collection. Harnessing the creative tension created by the divergent values of nature and modernity to bring about a harmonious whole, Opposites United provides Kia's designers with a framework through which to combine a unique blend of elegant, sculptural shapes and confident, assertive geometry, offering a strikingly contemporary yet gracefully serene finished product.
"The EV9 represents our efforts to break new ground in design, connectivity, usability and our responsibility to the environment," added Karim Habib, Executive Vice President and Head of Kia Global Design. "Receiving this award recognizes the dedication and commitment of countless members of our design and engineering team and underscores our efforts to impact the industry and marketplace with compelling, meaningful design."
The exterior of the EV9 exudes confidence, clarity and calm with its upright stance, clean lines and flat surfaces. The Digital Tiger Face feature showcases a visionary and futuristic look, accentuated by the Digital Pattern Lighting Grille and vertical headlights.
The interior, featuring a flat floor and long wheelbase, takes advantage of the E-GMP platform for exceptional spaciousness, while the seats and centre console are designed to give a refined feel and further maximise the sense of space.
In addition, the EV9's cabin has been designed in line with Kia's "three-stage sustainable design strategy". The implementation of the new strategy embodies the brand's commitment to sustainability, aiming to ensure the gradual reduction of natural leather by introducing 10 biological elements and promoting research into the development of natural materials.
In awarding the EV9, the iF judges said: "The Kia EV9 expands the aesthetic possibilities of a large SUV while advancing its functional performance. The modern design language makes other large SUVs look old-fashioned, while the second-row swivel seats and a variety of smaller functional solutions make life in the car more social! Who said sustainable design can't be exciting?"
Combined with the EV9's exterior design, the SUV's "Ki" entertainment system features a graphic style that aligns with Opposites United's values and complements the vehicle's design, using eye-friendly, recognizable colors to complete a unique and contemporary brand experience. As a category winner product interfaces, Ki is based on the basic angle of view of a slanted line, representing upward trends, and is applied to all infotainment elements, from icons, fonts and the entire instrumentation.
This diagonal line promotes a distinct and unified look, while maintaining clarity and functionality. Designed to make new features such as electric vehicle charging more intuitive and easy to read, the display-optimized user interface configuration makes it easier for users to recognize signal transitions and customize charging and discharging information.
In addition to the successes of the EV9, Kia was also distinguished in other areas by the iF judges in the categories: communications, trade fair booth design and interactive media experience.
All winning entries are featured on www.ifdesign.com and published on the iF Design App.
