A futuristic concept with flair could evolve into a high-powered EV rivaling Tesla, Lucid, and more, if it ever reaches production. Kia's 80th anniversary Meta Turismo GT concept was an absolute mic-drop moment, offering a tantalizing glimpse at where Kia's performance ambitions could be heading. Now that the Stinger has officially bowed out, and with Kia in need of a new halo model, what would a production-ready Meta Turismo actually look like?
Here's our take imagined as what could be called the EV8 GT. The concept evolves into something more grounded yet still sharp, mixing vintage concept wedge proportions from the 1960s with flashes of Lamborghini aggression. The EV8 GT study is defined by a fastback roofline and cab-forward stance, featuring an angular side surfacing, flush door handles, and traditional pillars.
The cabin would be dialed back without losing its focus on the driver, with key elements like an augmented reality head-up display and smart glass remaining. Handling-wise, the GT sports adaptive damping, torque vectoring, and rear-biased all-wheel drive to balance ride comfort with canyon-carving prowess. Kia's dual-motor setups are capable of 650 horsepower, but we expect the EV8 GT to surpass this, with a 0-60 mph performance closing in on the 3-second mark.
In a perfect world, solid-state batteries would make an appearance, yet commercial reality for this chemistry still appears a long way off. A safer bet would be a 100 kWh Li-Ion Phosphate battery pack good for an WLTP range of over 435 miles. If Kia greenlights the EV8 GT, it won't be entering a quiet market, with potential rivals including the Polestar 5, Tesla Model S, Xiaomi SU7, Huawei's Luxeed S7, Lucid Air, and Audi A6 e-Tron.
Now it's your turn. Should the Meta Turismo concept evolve into Kia's next Stinger? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Kia's EV8 GT has the potential to be a game-changer in the high-performance EV market, but it will need to navigate complex competition and technological hurdles to reach its full potential. With careful design and engineering, Kia can create a vehicle that not only meets but exceeds expectations.
