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" Honda&amp;#039;s clever ads for its Odyssey have the tagline, &amp;quot;Respect the Van.&amp;quot; Kia&amp;#039;s might be &amp;quot;Reinvent the Van&amp;quot; if this larger sibling to the Soul ever makes it to production.   Called the KV7 Concept, it&amp;#039;s the work of Kia&amp;#039;s Southern California design studio that set out to remake people&amp;#039;s perceptions of the minivan. Among the designers&amp;#039; goals: &amp;quot;Create a vehicle with the functionality to transport a large group of people and their belongings while conveying a modern, dynamic image and keeping its occupants connected to the outside world.&amp;quot;            Connected   Whether it&amp;#039;s face to face or through the Internet, the KV7 aims for connectivity. On a human-to-human level, the interior offers four rotating seats (including the driver&amp;#039;s) that allow occupants to face one another, presumably when parked. The van&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;floorplan&amp;quot; is quite open, encouraging bona fide verbal interaction that doesn&amp;#039;t involve texting or instant messaging. For quick web access, the van is Wi-Fi-enabled, and an interactive tabletop touchscreen computer is integrated into the rear seating area. Getting into that space is easy, as the passenger side offers a giant gullwing door that augments the conventionally opening front door, with no B-pillar whatsoever.            The instrument panel, which incorporates a large, multi-use touchscreen, moves toward the driver when the vehicle is started, then moves away when it&amp;#039;s shut off for easier egress. The interior&amp;#039;s use of colors and materials seems more house than vehicle, with soft beige and green hues and reclaimed teak wood flooring.            Exterior Style: Boaring?   The KV7&amp;#039;s exterior design is not unlike the Soul&amp;#039;s, which, believe it or not, was influenced by the functional yet somewhat seductive curves of a wild boar (if you&amp;#039;re another wild boar of the opposite sex, I suppose)\u2014it seems one of the design team was struck by the proportions of the animal when watching a nature show. As functional cartons-on-wheels go, we think it looks clean and contemporary. Said Tom Kearns, chief designer for Kia Motors America, &amp;quot;Rather than reject the box, we chose to celebrate it, just like we did with the Soul.&amp;quot; Its front and rear LED strips may appear in a Kia showroom sooner rather than later, as the KV7 &amp;quot;incorporates several innovative lighting elements currently being evaluated for future Kia production vehicles.&amp;quot; Power comes by way of Kia&amp;#039;s new turbocharged Theta II 2.0-liter direct-injected 4-cylinder\u2014said to be capable of up to 285 bhp\u2014paired with a 6-speed automatic. And who knows about the KV7&amp;#039;s ultimate production viability. Remember, the Soul, Forte Koup and Sportage all started as concept vehicles, and strayed very little from their original design path. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-shows/detroit-auto-show/news/a16689/kia-kv7-concept/>