Look at this “BATMOBIL” with the Kia badge!
It may not be the Batmobile, but the Batman-inspired Kia Optima is as close as you are likely to get.
Kia Motors America has teamed up with DC Entertainment and RIDES magazine to create a vehicle that they hope will do as much good as the Caped Crusader.
The vehicle will go on display at the Time Warner Center to kick of a 10-month campaign aimed at drawing attention to the hunger issues in the Horn of Africa.
The Kia vehicles used in the “We Can Be Heroes” campaign are heavily influenced by the art of comic book icon, Jim Lee, and feature a number of elements that fit the persona of Batman. That means giving the Kia Optima a dark and mysterious look on the outside, but backed by premium, cutting edge technology on the inside.
Michael Sprague, executive vice president, marketing and communications, KMA acknowledged that Batman is without a doubt one of the most iconic Super Hero characters of all time.
He felt that using Batman as a theme for the Optima would be a fun way to show off the turbocharged performance and premium features of the vehicle. He also felt that since the Optima has been the vehicle that has truly helped Kia achieve great success in the past five years, it should be the one that should be chosen to introduce the partnership with DC Entertainment.
He expressed hope that the combination of the Optima and the Justice League would be one that would greatly benefit the “We Can Be Heroes” campaign.
Black Optima with Batman emblem
Kia, DC Entertainment, and RIDES magazine worked closely together to come up with the final design of the Batman-themed Optima.
That included a rather stunning matte and piano black paint scheme, lowered suspensions and muscular ground effects kit, 20-inch black wheels with Ksport performance brakes, and a performance exhaust system.
There were also a few cool exterior changes made, such as the batwing shaped front grille, yellow LED lighting accents, and the legendary bat signal etched into the HID headlights.
The interior also gets some cool touches, with the Optima sporting black leather seats that are adorned with bright yellow stitching. There are also a number of different crime fighting features contained in the car, with utility throwing stars added to the center console and a spare Bat suit and cowl hidden in the trunk.
Batman is known for having the most technologically advanced gadgets, so don’t be surprised to find a pair of video screen in the front-seat headrests.
These are for more than just show, though, with the screens displaying a video that highlights the hunger plight of the people in that area of Africa. It’s the worst it has ever been in the past 60 years, and the hope is that the “We Can Be Heroes” campaign will do a lot to draw attention to the plight of the people affected by this issue.
Kia Optima “Batman” photo gallery:
This sounds awesome! Where are the pictures?
I’ll upload pictures of the Optima today. I had some connection problems yesterday, so I couldn’t do that…
Oh, OK. I’m looking forward to them! 🙂
WOW !!! keep on KIA people ….show what U CAN 🙂