How Kia’s New Logo Aims to Challenge Tesla and Other EV Companies | WSJ Rebrand

(mouse clicks) - In 2021, many people started looking for a KN car, but there is no car company with that name. Turns out people were misunderstanding Kia's new

logo

. This change was part of Kia's multimillion-dollar

rebrand

in 2021, which included new colors, redesigned dealerships, and a new website. - This new

logo

is absolutely a way to redefine your competitive set. They no longer compete with Honda, Toyota, Ford or GM. They are trying to compete with Tesla. - So let's look at Kia's

rebrand

and see how it's using a new logo to try to take its brand to the next level.

Kia has been around for almost 80 years and in that time, the company has gone through six iterations of its logo. - Kia's history really is in the manufacturing, and that is seen in part of the history of its logos. - Blake Howard is the creative director of Matchstic, a brand identity firm in Atlanta. He is also the host of a podcast discussing the logo changes. - And it wasn't really until they entered the US automotive market that they started to think more about their own vehicles or branded products. - This logo was launched in 1994, the same year Kia officially entered the US market. - Introducing Kia. - Where it was differentiated by the price of its cars, and that reputation as an economical brand attached to its logo. - Kia, for years, has been the value brand in the United States, the one that teenagers could buy as their first car. - Here's what some consumers said they thought about Kia. - This is the standard car. - Product with good quality-price ratio. (speaks in foreign language) - But according to surveys by the research company J.D.

Power, the quality of Kia cars has been improving for years. - In the early 2000s they started to focus more on design, car design, product design and in many ways the old logo seemed like an eyesore applied to that more modern product they had already produced. Now, with this more modern logo, they finally feel like the Kia that many of us may have already known existed. - Kia hopes to change its brand image with this 2021 rebrand, specifically with its new logo. - So when we think about logo design, we think about three things: shape, color and content. - And Kia made changes to all three.

In terms of shape, Kia abandoned the traditional container that many

other

car

companies

use in their logos. - As you can see, Honda has a container. Toyota has traditionally had that container and that's because it's super functional. It is easy to place that container shape as a separate work of art on any type of vehicle make or model. As for color, Kia switched from red to black not only to signal a dramatic change from its previous logos, but also to stand out. differentiated from

other

car brands. - Red and blue are the most popular colors among brands in the United States, which is no surprise.

And when you look at the car market, you see a lot of red, specifically in foreign imported brands. - Kia also changed its brand colors to Midnight Black and Polar White. - It's no longer just a generic red, it's no longer a generic white. Even nuanced color decisions like that indicate that they are a little more design-oriented. Consumers may not generally recognize it at a high level, but I think it's all starting to feel cohesive and, over time, will create a visual language for Kia that will hopefully be recognizable. - Finally, there is the content of the logo, which involves the choice of typography. - It is always ideal to have the brand name front and center in the market, as loud and proud as possible. - And Kia chose to represent its brand in an abstract way.

But this design choice has caused some confusion. - I saw this logo on a car and I thought they were nine inch nails. - The biggest criticism concerns readability. When people see a car brand, they expect to quickly understand what the brand name is, especially when letters are involved. - Blackspace, the agency that designed Kia's new logo, says the letters should resemble a cursive signature. - They were inspired by calligraphy and worked with different Korean glyphs and the letters are built from consistent parallel angular lines that represent this idea of ​​ascent. - They said that the ascending strokes symbolize the meaning of Kia, which will emerge from Asia.

Another big part of Kia's rebranding effort is redesigning its U.S. dealerships. - The new dealerships are actually designed to look less like an office space and more like a high-end retail outlet where cars are spread out in an open, spacious and metallic way. - Kia says it is also trying to attract EV buyers who typically don't like going to traditional car dealerships. Kia isn't the only car company investing in a new dealership look, nor is it the only one changing its logo. But what may set Kia apart is the speed and breadth of its rebranding efforts. - This is something that usually happens slowly and surely over several years and, in comparison, Kia seems to be doing it at breakneck speed. (upbeat music) - So how has Kia's business changed since it unveiled its rebrand in January 2021? - Kia is clearly on a roll.

They recently had their best third quarter in terms of sales in the US - Kia's revenue soared in 2021 and this year it launched the EV6, the company's first dedicated EV model, and the Niro EV, both priced starting price in the US of around $40,000. Kia says it plans to launch 14 electric vehicle models globally by 2027, and plans to sell 1.2 million electric vehicles a year by 2030. - And that puts them in a good race to be among the top electric vehicle sellers in the world. world. - But the inflation reduction law, approved in August, could ruin Kia's ambitious plans.

The new law requires cars to be assembled in the U.S. to qualify for the government's $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit. Kia and its sister company, Hyundai Motor, have factories in the United States for their gasoline cars. But its electric vehicles are currently made in Korea. Hyundai's $5.5 billion electric vehicle and battery factory in Georgia will not open until 2025. - South Korea and the United States are currently in talks about finding a way to solve this problem. But if things don't change, Kia could face a big

challenge

in reaching its 2030 sales target. - The other big

challenge

Kia faces is that almost all major automakers are launching electric vehicles at the same time. - Whenever that happens, whether it's a pickup truck, a minivan, a hatchback, or a new battery-powered vehicle, the challenge for these

companies

is always how to stand out in those crowded spaces. - With all the changes it has made in the last two years, Kia is not only betting big on the rise of electric vehicles, it is also betting on the lasting effects of its rebranding efforts. - Branding is truly a long-term investment.

It is redefining these micro touchpoints that over time will add to this macro feeling in the market. But what's modern now may not feel modern five or ten years from now, but the Kia logo is based on simple design principles, so it will endure. (bright and happy music)