In a fusion of design, innovation, and narrative, Kia Corporation unveiled Transcend Journey, a sweeping installation at Milan Design Week that blurs the lines between the natural and the urban, the practical and the poetic. Far from a mere vehicle showcase, the exhibition presents a meditative, design-forward exploration of mobility’s evolution—and what comes next.
Set against the backdrop of the world’s most prestigious design event, Transcend Journey offers an immersive lens into the minds of the designers shaping Kia’s new electric vehicles (EVs) and its forthcoming Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) lineup. The result is not only a sensory experience but a philosophical one: a meditation on movement, connection, and the spaces in between.
A Sculpture in Motion
At the heart of the exhibition, a striking, sinuous sculpture—crafted in collaboration with lightweight outdoor gear company Helinox—embodies Kia’s Opposites United design ethos. The form, which spirals and unfurls like a Möbius strip through the pavilion, is constructed from Helinox materials, aluminum poles from parent company DAC, and 3D-printed joints by LinkSolution. It is both structure and metaphor: a shape-shifting architectural body echoing the PBV’s transformative capabilities.
This thematic interplay between form and function extends to the vehicles themselves, with three models taking center stage—each offering a distinct yet harmonious vision of mobility’s future.
A Dual-Zone Narrative
The exhibition is neatly divided into two experiential zones, each tailored to a different facet of modern mobility.
In one, the Concept EV2 is positioned amid a tranquil urban picnic tableau. With hues of sky-blue and soft greenery, the setting evokes serenity—a modern-day oasis designed to bring nature back into the cityscape. Picnic baskets, minimalist chairs, and folding tables curated by Helinox further underscore the Concept EV2’s role as a versatile companion to daily life, urban or otherwise.
The second zone features the PV5 and its lifestyle-centric counterpart, the PV5 WKNDR. If the Concept EV2 represents an urban retreat, the PV5 zone offers its rustic counterpoint: a camping-style retreat complete with Helinox chairs, tarps, and a pop-up coffee booth by popular South Korean brand Potler. S’mores kits and drip-bag coffee add an intimate, interactive touch—suggesting that mobility, at its best, fosters community as much as convenience.
A New Mobility Architecture
Beneath the exhibition’s high-concept aesthetic lies a more pragmatic ambition. The PV5 is Kia’s first production model developed under its PBV strategy, an initiative that aims to reinvent how space is used in vehicles. Built on the brand’s E-GMP.S platform—a skateboard-style electric vehicle base—the PV5 offers modular body styles, including Passenger, Cargo, and Chassis Cab variants.
With a range of up to 400 kilometers and 30-minute fast-charging, the PV5 is designed for a broad spectrum of use cases. The Passenger variant, shown in Milan, includes flexible seating configurations and ample luggage capacity, while Kia’s AddGear system allows for easy installation of lifestyle accessories.
The PV5 WKNDR, meanwhile, turns this modularity into a lifestyle statement. Self-sufficient and solar-equipped, the vehicle features off-road tires, a Gear Head storage solution that doubles as a mobile pantry, and interiors fashioned with sustainable materials like Nike Grind flooring, made from recycled sneakers. It’s less of a weekend car and more of a mobile sanctuary.
Urban Nature, Reimagined
Then there is the Concept EV2—a nimble, all-electric SUV that previews a future production model aimed at younger, lifestyle-oriented drivers. Compact yet clever, the EV2 integrates sustainable materials, adaptable seating, and whimsical design touches such as pop-up luggage dividers and pedestrian-friendly message lighting. It is, in effect, an argument for mobility that is as expressive as it is functional.
The exhibition’s curated picnic scene emphasizes the vehicle’s dual utility: equally at home on city streets and grassy knolls. As with the WKNDR, it is a call to reimagine the vehicle not just as a means of transportation but as an enabler of life’s more enriching moments.
Mobility as Medium
At a time when many automotive exhibitions are content to tout horsepower and digital dashboards, Kia’s Transcend Journey opts instead for a quieter, more introspective path—placing human experience and emotional resonance at the center. Through thoughtful collaborations, modular innovation, and a sense of design that invites both awe and ease, Kia is suggesting that the road ahead is less about where we’re going, and more about how we move through it.