Kia has been making its fair share of design statements lately and its latest, just unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show, is the 'KV7' concept.
Conceived as a modern-day "activity MPV", the KV7 was designed by Kia's California design team to challenge the notion that MPVs are strictly boring family transportation devices.
Chief Designer Tom Kearns said: "From the outset, we felt the category was in need of an honest reassessment due to the fact that everyone seems so desperate to attach the word 'sporty' to their MPV even though MPVs, at their very core, are simply a box."
"Rather than reject the box we chose to celebrate it, just like we did with the Soul, and the result is a straightforward yet sophisticated vehicle that retains the functionality MPVs are known for and meets the changing and diverse needs of today's consumers."
The lounge-like interior is accessed by a striking passenger-side gullwing door which, when opened with the pillar-less front passenger door, provides extraordinarily convenient access, according to Kia.
It also allows the vehicle to open up to the outside world and become the sociable hub of an outdoor event.
Rather than being a predominantly functional vehicle to transport children and everyday paraphernalia the KV7's interior has been envisioned to meet the needs of an entirely new group of consumers.
This group are busy organising road trips, social outings and new adventures for themselves and their friends to experience together.
As such, the KV7 concept's interior employs four custom-built swivelling seats, including the driver's seat, and a rear-corner mini-lounge with seating for three and integrated storage compartments to promote interaction in an open social environment.
Rear passengers have their own, separate interface in the form of a floating tabletop touch-screen computer display. The KV7 is Wi-Fi enabled, providing both the front and rear displays with internet capabilities and the ability for multiple passengers to connect their smart phones to the vehicle at one time and sign on to social networking sites.