Kia Futuron Concept SUV
The Kia Futuron concept SUV debuted at the 2019 China International Import Expo (CIIE) and signals a dramatic shift in how Kia approaches design, technology, and ambition. A fully electric all-wheel-drive coupe-SUV with Level 4 autonomous capability, four in-wheel motors, and a cabin that reconfigures itself for autonomous travel, the Futuron is one of the most complete expressions of where the electric SUV market is heading.
Kia's Design Awakening
The Futuron did not arrive in isolation. Over the preceding years Kia had systematically demolished the perception of itself as a budget brand. The Stinger GT demonstrated that the company could engineer a rear-wheel-drive grand tourer capable of rivalling European premium saloons. The Telluride proved it could build a flagship family SUV that stood on its own terms rather than simply filling a market gap. The Futuron is the logical next step: a concept vehicle that articulates Kia's vision for a fully electric performance SUV without compromise.
Electric Powertrain and e-AWD Architecture
At its core, the Futuron houses four independent in-wheel electric motors, one per wheel, delivering an e-AWD system capable of near-instant torque vectoring between axles and individual corners. The high-capacity battery pack sits beneath the cabin floor, following the skateboard architecture that has become standard for purpose-built EVs, keeping the centre of gravity low and maximising interior volume by eliminating the transmission tunnel entirely.
Kia has not released specific power figures for the Futuron, framing it as a design and technology showcase rather than a production-spec powertrain reveal. What the architecture demonstrates is the direction: individual corner-motor control, flat-floor packaging, and a battery placement that would give the final vehicle handling characteristics closer to a sports car than a traditional SUV.
Level 4 Autonomy and the Reconfiguring Interior
The roof of the Futuron carries a network of LiDAR sensors enabling Level 4 autonomous driving, the level at which the car requires no human intervention in defined conditions. When autonomous mode is activated, the Futuron's interior transforms: the front seats recline to a "zero-gravity" position designed to reduce fatigue on long journeys, and the steering wheel retracts entirely. The cabin becomes a lounge, a vision of long-distance travel as rest rather than task.
The interior design alternates between two modes explicitly: an upright, driver-focused configuration and a fully reclined autonomous configuration. As noted by Carscoops, the dual-mode thinking is among the more convincing executions of autonomous interior design seen in a concept car from a volume manufacturer.
Exterior Design: The Fastback SUV Coupe
The Futuron measures 4,850 mm long with a 3,000 mm wheelbase and stands 1,550 mm tall. Those proportions deliver the long, low silhouette of a coupe grafted onto the elevated ride height of an SUV: the formula that has defined the most commercially successful premium segment of the last decade. The name "Futuron" is itself a portmanteau of "future" and "on," a reference to the vehicle's switched-on electric character. Smooth surface transitions, minimal panel breaks, and a fastback roofline complete an exterior that Green Car Reports described as one of the more resolved concept exteriors from any Korean manufacturer.
Explore the World's Most Forward-Thinking Cars at TheArsenale
The Futuron is a preview of where electric SUV design is heading. For those who want to drive the vanguard of automotive innovation today, the TheArsenale car collection includes machines like the RAESR Tachyon Speed Electric Hypercar, the Apex AP-1 Electric Sports Car, and the Devel Sixteen 5,007 HP Hypercar, each pointing toward the extreme edges of what electric and combustion engineering can achieve.
