2015 SEMA Show Las Vegas - #KiaWanderlust

“Kia unveiled some cool, and wildly entertaining concept vehicles at the SEMA Show in glitzy Las Vegas. All with the purpose of celebrating the spirit of the American Road Trip.”

“View of the Las Vegas Strip from the Hard Rock Tower Hotel”

If you aren’t too familiar with SEMA, here is a brief introduction: The Specialty Equipment Market Association show is a yearly event where the top accessory companies, auto manufacturers and brightest minds in the industry unite and welcome over 60,000 visitors from around the globe. Oh —and it’s nuts, and massive beyond belief.

Over the course of the last decade Kia has managed to transform itself from a low-end, economy car manufacturer, to one of the top ranked brands in quality, safety and resale value, even beating brands like Honda and Toyota. And although all of those qualities are important, Kia has focused on building great-looking cars. Kia’s design team has most definitely hit some home-runs with their latest, awesome creations like the Optima, Sedona and Sorento.

When I first heard the rumors of the concept vehicles Kia was building for SEMA they didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but then I found out the story and meaning behind them, and that’s when I really couldn’t wait to see them in person.

“Everyone anxiously awaited the unveiling of the concept vehicles”

I’ve been to Las Vegas perhaps more times than I really wish I had, but it was my first time attending SEMA, and now that I’ve left and reflected upon my trip —it was hands down my best Sin City trip ever.

The SEMA show itself is beyond belief, it’s enormous and there are outdoor areas with hundreds of cars and even a drift track for high-powered cars to show off their skills, while inside the many halls of SEMA are hundreds if not thousands of vendors, some as small as a one-car garage and some as big as a city block! Then there are the events, shows, celebrities, and how could I forget —parties…

But anyway, back to the cars. Kia set out to honor the American Road Trip, because after all —they’ve been fueling their customer’s desires for freedom and travel with their very own vehicles for many years. Therefore Kia designed four completely new concepts that zero in on a particular region of the country and represent the culture and geography of that area. And I think they’ve got it spot on, what do you think?

PacWest Adventure Sorento

Based on the already pretty sweet Kia Sorento, the PacWest Adventure concept represents the never-ending forests and chill attitude of the Pacific Northwest region of the country.

With a pearlescent green paint job, matte-black body accents instead of chrome, a 6-inch suspension lift and extra-wide fender flares, the PacWest Adventure Sorento is the perfect on and off-road machine to explore the gorgeous and mountainous terrain. And because you may need to cross a river or two, the heavy-duty winch and engine snorkel will help you cross the wildest of rapids. This one is by far my favorite!

A1A Optima

Few places in the good ‘ole United States are more iconic than the State of Florida, and the A1A Optima is all about letting the outside in.

There is no better way to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Sunshine state than by cruising topless all the way to Cuba on Highway A1A, and by Cuba I mean the southernmost point of the U.S —Key West (90 miles from Cuba). Oh, and by topless I meant the car, of course… Don’t get too crazy!

With a completely removed roof, suicide style doors, blinged-out wheels and grill, smoked tail lights and a flashy ivory leather interior, the A1A Optima is bound to turn heads on Ocean Dr. and Hemingway’s driveway alike.

Photo Safari Sedona

Truly a photographer’s dream ride, the Photo Safari Sedona is based on Kia’s already amazing minivan, but it adds some outrageous modifications to capture the wild in style!

The Photo Safari Sedona is all about accommodating to thrill-seeking photographers as they go into the lion’s den (literally). With a sliding rear seat that actually hangs out of the vehicle, a photo lab, and a pick-up truck bed it certainly meets all the requirements to chase elephants in the wild —or Kim K. around L.A. (TMZ would pay big bucks for one of these)

Forte Koup Mud Bogger

Mud-bogging has deep roots in the south, and therefore the Forte Koup Mud Bogger proudly wears massive mud-digging tires to celebrate such heritage.

Mud-bogging is fun, actually, almost any kind of off-roading is fun, but the fact that mud-bogging is usually done at pretty high speeds make it even more fun. So it’s no surprise the Forte Koup Mud Bogger was outfitted with racing seats, a safety roll-bar (just in case), a four-inch body lift and even an aluminum and alcantara racing steering wheel (because who needs airbags). As if that weren’t enough, the Forte Koup Mud Bogger wraps it all up with a patriotic metallic blue paint job, with red and white body accents. Cuz ‘Merica.