Followup: Kia design head "caves" to Korean influence with Naimo concept
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/conceptcars/" rel="tag">Concept Cars</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/kia/" rel="tag">Kia</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/misc-auto-shows/" rel="tag">Misc. Auto Shows</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/electric/" rel="tag">Electric</a></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/kia-naimo-concept/"><img alt="naimo concept" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/03/310311kias.jpg" style="width: 630px; height: 399px; margin: 4px 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;" /></a><br />
<div class="iphone_hide" style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-size: 10px; font-style: italic;">
Kia Naimo EV concept - Click above for high-res image gallery</div>
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The Korean-made cars of the 1990s and early 2000s looked very... Korean. Not exactly a bad thing, mind you, but it's tough to sell vehicles around the globe that cater to a specific region of the world. That's likely one of the reasons why <a href="http://autoblog.com/make/kia/">Kia</a> hired former <a href="http://autoblog.com/make/audi">Audi</a> designer Peter Schreyer to inject some much needed style into its lineup.<br />
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Schreyer tells <em>Automotive News</em> that there is no "Koreaness" about the Kia lineup, adding "to be honest, we don't want the cars to look Korean." A quick look at the <a href="http://autoblog.com/model/optima/">2011 Optima</a> and you can see Schreyer is succeeding, but what about the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/31/kia-naimo-ev-concept-ready-for-seoul-motor-show-debut/">Naimo EV concept</a>? <em>AN</em> tells us that the jade color is reminiscent of Celadon-style pottery. The interior is covered in Korean oak. Schreyer tells <em>AN</em> that, at least in this case, the Korean factor is strong, adding it has design cues inspired by art specific to that country.<br />
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While the Naimo concept is a definite change of pace versus the rest of the Kia lineup, we're thinking the little concept doesn't mean to reveal a new styling direction. The show car was, after all, designed with the <a href="http://autoblog.com/tag/seoul+motor+show">Seoul Motor Show</a> in mind. Besides, there's nothing wrong with playing to the home crowd.<br />
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<div class="postgallery"><p><s trong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/kia-naimo-concept/">Kia Naimo Concept</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/kia-naimo-concept/#4016229"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/03/310311kia_thumbnail.jpg" alt="Kia Naimo Concept" title="Kia Naimo Concept" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/kia-naimo-concept/#4016230"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/03/310311-a-kia_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/kia-naimo-concept/#4016232"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/03/310311-c-kia_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/kia-naimo-concept/#4016231"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/03/310311-b-kia_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/kia-naimo-concept/#4016233"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/03/310311-d-kia_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br />
[Source: <a href="http://autos.aol.com/cars-compare?cur_page=details& v1=USC10NIS012B0&v2=USC10 TOS072C0&v3=USC10JES162C0 &v4=&v5=&spAd=y">Automoti ve News</a> - sub. req.]<p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/01/followup-kia-design-head-schreyer-caves-to-korean-influence-w/">Followup: Kia design head "caves" to Korean influence with Naimo concept</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:29:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://autos.aol.com/cars-compare?cur_page=details& v1=USC10NIS012B0&v2=USC10 TOS072C0&v3=USC10JES162C0 &v4=&v5=&spAd=y>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/01/followup-kia-design-head-schreyer-caves-to-korean-influence-w/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19899300/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/01/followup-kia-design-head-schreyer-caves-to-korean-influence-w/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

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