The K8, which will be the new standard for the Kia sedan lineup, has been finally released. The Kia K8 has become the first model to represent the new Kia brand, revealing its innovative design.
In particular, thanks to the harmony of more luxurious interiors and picturesque colors than existing full-size sedans, consumers have become seriously hot from the pre-contract stage. Kia K8’s interior design was completed by Ban Kyung-Hwan and Kim Kyung-Mi, who designed the colors and materials, and examined the secrets of the beauty of the K8.
The charm of Kia K8: what is an interior space
Senior Researcher Ban Kyung-Hwan, who completed the interior design of Kia K8
Q. What is the design concept of the Kia K8 interior?
We redefined ‘premium luxury’ and created an interior worthy of a full-size sedan. The theme of the K8 interior is a space that inspires the driver, provides a comfortable resting place and realizes a smart lifestyle. From the very beginning of development, designers considered differentiation the most. A new luxury space was realized by combining high-tech sensibility rather than simply focusing on superior materials and luxurious images.
Q. Where did you get inspiration from?
After a series of research, I drew inspiration from a luxury hotel lounge. For the interior of the K8, we tried to capture the atmosphere of a lounge space that is both comfortable and luxurious. In particular, I think that the experience of sitting on a comfortable sofa and watching a large-screen curved TV is a sense of luxuriousness that also houses high-tech trends. When we designed the interior, we prioritized the harmony of superior emotional quality, lounge-specific openness, and IT technology.
For K8, we created a comfortable and luxurious atmosphere like a hotel lounge.
Q. How about innovative high-tech equipment or designs?
Several innovations have been applied in the K8 interior design. The first is the panoramic curved display that Kia first applied to the K8; The panoramic curved display, consisting of two 12.3-inch displays, smoothly connects the dashboard and infotainment system to create a driver-centered cockpit environment and a future-oriented image at the same time.
The interior has become much more modernized through an integrated control panel with LCD touch technology.
The second is the central control panel (infotainment/air conditioning control system). This panel with LCD touch technology provides two types of UI for air conditioning and multimedia buttons in one operation panel, effectively reducing physical buttons and showing a more modern interior. In addition, the quick-responsive touch panel allows the driver to handle it as if he/she is using his/her own smartphone.
The star cloud lighting pattern on the wood garnish is a unique element of the K8 interior design.
Q. What are the unique interior design elements that can only be found in the K8?
The biggest feature of the K8 interior is that the unique design elements and formative patterns of the exterior lead to the interior. For example, patterns of frameless radiator grills that have attracted many people’s attention, and patterns of Star Cloud Lighting, which doubles as daytime running lights and turn indicators, can be found throughout the room. In this way, it gave a sense of unity both outside and inside the vehicle. The lighting effect shining among the elaborate patterns creates a new atmosphere like never before.
The door trim has an ambient light with a star cloud concept looking like a cluster of stars to create a comfortable atmosphere.
Q. Recently, ambient lighting has become the core of vehicle interiors. What are the characteristics of the K8 ambient light?
The existing ambient light was mainly line-shaped mood lighting, but the K8’s ambient light developed into a mood lighting that illuminates a specific space. The twinkling star-like ambient lighting is applied both to the wood garnish and the door trim, enhancing the comfortable atmosphere. There are 7 professional colors and 64 custom colors for lighting options, and the color changes according to the selected drive mode.
The interior of the K8 coexists with the high-tech sensibility of a full-size premium sedan.
Q. What do you want to emphasize most as an interior designer?
The keyword symbolizing the K8 interior would be ‘sleek’. There is a beauty emphasized by soft lines and wide surfaces, and high-tech sensibility housing an ultra-slim display and integrated control panel are the hallmarks of the K8 interior. These luxurious features definitely fit the class. It is not just a traditional sense of luxury, but it is more fresh and new for the youthful sense of the Kia brand. We hope that the value of the space in K8 will be impressive enough for our consumers.
Kia K8’s fascinating colors and materials
Senior Researcher Kim Kyung-Mi in charge of the colors and materials of Kia K8
Q. What is K8’s CMF (Color, Material, Finish)?
The CMF that represents Kia K8’s design concept is ‘Modern & Stylish Luxury’. For such a full-size sedan, we used low-saturation and neutral colors, and the combination of sparkling pearl particles and dark tones maximized the refined and luxurious image. In the interior space, a wide range of high-quality materials are applied to stand out the profound atmosphere and weight. In addition, we focused on creating a premium image through the same luxurious finish of the fingertips of craftsmen.
The low-saturation colors were carried out to emphasize the profound and luxurious image.
Q. What is the exterior color that makes the K8 look dynamic and future-oriented?
There are six options for the body shade: Snow White Pearl, Steel Gray, Interstellar Gray, Aurora Black Pearl, Gravity Blue, and Deep Forest Green. Steel Gray and Interstellar Gray, which are gray-based colors, highlight the future-oriented body and emphasize the solid and sharp image conveyed by the metal substance. The newly designed Deep Forest Green is exclusive for K8 and features a classic and luxurious image of green color. Yellow pearl is added to the dark tone, so you can see two different faces depending on the light. _
The interior color of K8 consists of black monotone, toffee brown dual-tone, and sand beige dual-tone.
Q. How are the interior colors and trims organized?
K8 aims to target Young 40s, who value their each and every family member. We focused on the comfort, luxury sensibility, and stylish design of the family sedan. There are three options for interior color: black monotone with a chic image, toffee brown dual-tone with a luxurious atmosphere, and sand beige dual-tone with a sophisticated feel. And speaking of which, we were careful to avoid too much luxury. Various materials such as wood, leather, and metal all blend in to achieve perfection.
The SRP method creates a real wood-like texture.
Q. What are new methods or materials used for emotional quality?
Wood garnish is the highlight of the K8 interior, and is applied to the door trim as well as the crash pad. In order to realize the texture as realistic as possible, we used the Superfine Real Print (SRP) method. This method can reproduce the actual wood surface as it is, and realize not only the shape of the wood grain but also the surface texture as it is. In order to emphasize the premium image, the SRP method was applied to the large garnish, and a geometric pattern was added to the surface to emphasize the connection between the inside and outside of the body. You will be able to feel the delicate quality of sensitivity and unity the moment you get inside.
Interstellar Gray makes the K8’s futuristic design stand out.
Q. What color do you recommend as a CMF designer? And why?
Interstellar Gray is a color that highlights the future-oriented design of the K8. The density of color particles is high, and the high luminance metallic color is harmonized with the proportion of the long and low body, making it easy to create a sophisticated image. If you want to stand out with something different, I would like to recommend a few options that we exclusively created for K8 – Deep Forest Green and Toffee Brown Dual Tone. Deep Forest Green has a distinctive classic charm with a profound image, and Toffee Brown gives a perfect harmony with a luxurious interior through a deep sense of color that fits an urban image.
Source: Kia
