Some time ago, Kia Motors President Park Han-woo said in an interview in South Korea that Kia will change its new logo within this year, and the new logo will be officially released in October this year. According to Korean media sources, Kia’s new logo is similar to the logo of the previously released new pure electric concept car Imagine, with only differences in details. At the same time, Korean media discovered that Kia had applied for a patent for the new logo as early as 2019.
In 2019, Dongfeng Yueda Kia achieved annual sales of 289,900 units in the Chinese market. Although it has achieved a slight increase compared with 2018, according to Li Feng, the first Chinese general manager of Dongfeng Yueda Kia on January 13, Dongfeng Yueda Kia is in line with the sales volume, profit and market share. It is at a lower level compared to previous years. Dongfeng Yueda Kia has now reached a critical crossroads.
It is true that Dongfeng Yueda Kia should be happy to achieve slight growth despite the downturn in the auto market, but compared with its peak sales of 650,000 units in China, its sales volume of 289,900 units It's really hard to let go. And from the perspective of the overall market, Hyundai and Kia Group achieved global sales of 2.77 million vehicles in 2019, which may seem like a lot, but in fact it fell 4.48% year-on-year. It has failed to achieve the established sales target for five consecutive years. Faced with the continued decline of the global market and the stagnant but huge potential of the Chinese market, Kia urgently needs an opportunity to regroup and change its logo, which may be one of the means to develop new opportunities.
How important is a logo to a car? Except for car enthusiasts, I believe that when looking at a car, most people first look at the logo, know the brand of the vehicle, and then learn about the model of the vehicle; it can be said that the logo is one of the image representatives of the brand. Changing the logo means a new brand image, which is more likely to bring about more changes, such as product style, image, etc.
There are actually many examples of companies that have changed their logos and revitalized them, and Haval Motors should be one of them. When Haval was not established, its logo always used the oval beacon image of Great Wall Motors. However, starting in 2013, the Haval brand, which became independent and adopted the new logo of "HAVAL", began to make a name for itself and established its positioning as a "sacred car". This is inseparable from the influence of the SUV craze, Haval's own product strength and market positioning. However, you cannot deny that the new "HAVAL" logo has indeed brought a younger and more dynamic brand image to Haval.
At the same time, referring to other car companies that have changed their logos in recent years, such as Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, etc., we can see that all brands are moving in the direction of "simplification" in their logo changes. Kia is no exception to this. Kia's new logo is still the well-known English interpretation of "KIA", but it has become more exaggerated and simplified. The three letters are connected to each other, and the design is stronger, giving people a younger feeling, which is very consistent with Kia's current youth. design.
And don’t underestimate this small sign, it involves a huge cost investment. As mentioned above, a logo should be the image of a corporate brand. Therefore, taking China as an example, when Kia changes its new logo, all dealers also need to change their new logo. According to incomplete statistics, Kia has approximately Once the 350 4S stores are replaced with new logos, all store logos, brochures, office documents and other product-related supporting equipment will need to be replaced with new logos, which is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also requires a large amount of investment.
It is true that to the outside world, replacing a new logo often represents a new image, but for consumers, what they care about most is still the quality of the product, followed by the brand image. The reason why Dongfeng Yueda Kia was able to achieve slight year-on-year growth in 2019 was inseparable from the rapid rise of new cars in the second half of the year. In 2020, Dongfeng Yueda Kia maintains the pace of four new cars in its planning to achieve innovation at the brand image and product levels.
The new generation of Kia KX7
Estimated launch time: first quarter
What is certain is that the Kia KX7 will not be the first to debut in China; It will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show on March 3.
However, affected by the cancellation of the Geneva Motor Show, it is still unclear whether the subsequent debut and planning of Kia KX7 will be disrupted. However, this does not prevent us from understanding the power of its products.
Compared with the current model, the new car will have a further lengthened wheelbase and will be equipped with a 2.5T engine. It has not yet been determined whether this power will be used after it is produced in China. In addition to the new family-style design on the front face, the changes in the interior are also particularly obvious, which directly changes the design style of the current KX7 and incorporates more straight lines. From Zhipao, Yipao, KX5 to KX3, KX7, Kia's models will give the entire Kia family of SUVs a new luster after the replacement, and they will compete in different market segments together.
The new generation K5
Estimated launch time: May
The design language used by KX7 has been used since the smart car, but the new generation K5 is a bit different. Festa's feeling, this is not to say that the design language of the two is similar, but the temperament also gives people a sharp and powerful feeling. The design language used in the Kia K5 is actually an innovative design language that Kia has never seen before, which shows the importance of the K5.
Although compared to the appearance, the interior of the K5 is relatively conservative and makes people unhappy, but in terms of power, the overseas version uses a 1.6T engine equipped with CVVD technology, matched with an 8AT transmission. box, the maximum horsepower reaches 180Ps. After being produced in China in the future, the new car will provide two types of power: 1.5T and 2.0T, paired with a 7DCT gearbox, and the power performance is expected to be even better. For young consumers who pursue power and control, the strength of Kia K5 should not be underestimated.
Kia K3 pure electric
Estimated launch time: March
In addition to making efforts in the fuel vehicle market, Dongfeng Yueda Kia also has corresponding plans in the new energy market . At the previous Guangzhou Auto Show, it had unveiled a Kia K3 EV model and said it would be launched in March this year. Although the launch date of the car may change due to the current epidemic, this does not hinder Kia's layout in the new energy market.
At present, in the domestic market, there are only a handful of models launched by joint venture brands into the new energy market. Even if the launch of Kia K3 EV is delayed due to the epidemic, the loss is actually not large. It is reported that the focus of this model is not on the "electrified" exterior design, but on a motor with a power output of 184Ps, which is greater than the power output of the fuel version K3. But for K3 EV, power is actually not the top priority, but how can it break out in the face of "old" opponents such as Sylphy Pure Electric that have already laid out their plans?
In addition to the above-mentioned models, Kia also has a new car, which is expected to be a small pure electric SUV, but not much relevant information has been disclosed.
It can be seen that as global sales continue to decline and the Chinese market is gradually recovering, Kia has not panicked in key areas. In 2020, not only will Kia launch new cars, but its sibling Hyundai Motor will also revamp the Sonata and Lingdong. Even Genesis, the high-end brand of the Hyundai-Kia Group, may enter the Chinese market within the year. It can be seen that 2020 is a year for Korean cars to gather their strength and try their best. Looking at it the other way around, Kia chose to change its logo in October. It is very likely that it was waiting for all the vehicles to be updated, to build up its "internal strength", and then to hit the final mark in one fell swoop.
(Picture source from the Internet, infringement and deletion)
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.