Kia's future electric cars, led by an adventure van, sweep prestigious Red Dot awards

Kia is once again collecting trophies for its design department, this time walking away with five honors from the prestigious Red Dot Award: Design Concept 2025 competition. Winning awards seems to be turning into a habit for the Korean automaker, but one vehicle stood out by earning the top prize, the "Best of the Best."

The winner was the Kia PV5 WKNDR Concept - definitely not a sleek sports car or a family sedan. Instead, it's an electric adventure van that dares to suggest the future of electric cars might be less about the daily commute and more about the weekend escape.

The PV5 WKNDR Concept is a clear signal of where Kia sees potential growth in the EV market. Built on what Kia calls its Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) architecture, the van is designed for maximum flexibility, with the modular interior designed to move seamlessly from city streets to off-grid campsites.

The concept features enhancements for rougher terrain, an external storage system that can be configured as a mobile kitchen, and a highly customizable interior. To drive home its self-sufficient credentials, the PV5 WKNDR even includes integrated solar panels and a hydro turbine for generating its own power. It's a vehicle built for a specific, adventurous lifestyle.

The PV5 WKNDR took the highest honor, but it was only a part of a broader family of electric concepts that also received recognition. The Concept PV1, another Red Dot winner, is an ultra-compact vehicle designed for last-mile urban deliveries - a smart, nimble pod for navigating dense city centers.

The standard PV5, which the WKNDR is based on, is a mid-sized workhorse available for either logistics or passenger transport. Already available to customers, it offers flexible layouts, including a "Driver's Desk" workspace. The largest of the bunch, the Concept PV7, is a spacious electric van with a flat floor and mobile office layouts, aimed at small businesses and large delivery companies.

Kia also won an award for its Concept EV2, a compact electric SUV that looks more like a traditional consumer car. Designed for the B-segment, one of the most popular car sizes globally, the EV2 blends rugged styling with clever packaging. It features a pillar-less design, which opens up the cabin and allows for a highly configurable interior that can adapt to different needs.

Behind all these new designs is Kia's guiding principle, which it calls "Opposites United." While it may sound like another marketing slogan, the idea is to blend contrasting concepts to create something new. Kia's designs aim to fuse technology with nature, or balance practical function with emotional appeal.

The PV5 WKNDR is a perfect example of that approach, mixing advanced EV technology with the ruggedness needed for the great outdoors. This philosophy seems to be resonating with design experts, as the Red Dot awards are judged by an international panel on criteria like innovation, functionality, and quality.

Sure, some of these vehicles are still concepts, but they show a clear direction toward more specialized and sustainable EVs. The focus on modular platforms, customizable interiors, and lifestyle-specific features suggests that the one-size-fits-all approach to car design may be finally evolving. As Kia continues to fill its trophy case, it's also laying out a roadmap for a more interesting electric future.

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