Whether you frequent the country clubs with a pocket full of tees, hit the ice with some sticks and pucks, or enjoy soaking up the adrenaline at a race, Kia has a treat for you. This November, at the SEMA show, the South Korean automaker unveiled five- that's right, five - custom-designed Kia models for the most dedicated sports enthusiasts.
Let's start with the 2012 Kia Soul Hole-in-One. It would seem Kia would chose the Soul for its unique boxy shape, which closely resembles that of a golf cart. But a golf cart it is not. Honoring Michelle Wie, it features graphics of the pro's personal golf bags on the exterior and embroidered logos on the leather headrests. Under the hatch door, two golf bags and a comprehensive set of speakers...certainly not your grandfather's dream golf car, that's for sure.
For fans of another type of ball, Kia designed the Blake Griffin Kia Optima Hybrid. With all of the glamour of an Optima, only in a highly fuel-efficient hybrid form, it's an instant winner. And, just like Griffin stood out from his competitors at last year's slam dunk contest; this Optima stands out from the crowd with a unique basketball-inspired paint job and flooring that looks like the court. To top it all off, Kia even added a Pop-a-Shot basketball hoop in the trunk. So, now when you want to pull over and have a dunk-off with your friends, you can...that is, if it makes it to production.
Sports fans who prefer ice over wood, will revel in the Hat-Trick Forte five-door clad in an icy metallic gray, 19-inch bright blue alloy wheels and a custom aero kit that adds the front bumper borrowed from the Forte Koup. If you ask us, you don't even have to enjoy hockey to dig this chill set of wheels. But, for those who do, Kia added a custom hockey stick compartment between two custom-built bucket seats in the rear.
Moving from frozen water to temperate oceans, Kia introduced the Retro Surf Rio5 hatch, outfitted in 17-inch three piece gold wheels and rich brown exterior. It makes a splash with a finished wood-grain board on the roof and wood front splitter. And, inside, it pulls a hang-ten with hip, brown and tan plaid upholstery inspired by board shorts and a rear console modeled after breaking waves.
Last, but definitely not least, is the adrenaline-inducing Rio five-door hatch. Revamped to compete against theMAZDA2 and Honda Fit in the imminent Sports Car Club of America B-Spec racing competition, it features everything from a quick-release steering wheel to an interior roll cage. Be sure to look for it at grassroots competitions, soon!
While each of the aforementioned models is drastically different from each other. They all deliver the Kia quality, a sporty edge and one other unifying thread...For the times when you're tired from upping your game in real time, each car comes with a flat screen TV(s) and an Xbox 360. That way, even if you're muscles are feeling weak, you can always hone some mad virtual skills.
It goes without saying, Kia of Chattanooga hopes a few, if not all, of these clever cars make their way to production. Of course, we'll let you know if/when they do. And, in the mean time, we invite you to explore the original models on which all of these custom-made cars are built - the 2012 Kia Optima, 2012 Kia Soul, 2012 Kia Rio, 2012 Kia Forte - at 2136 Chapman Rd Chattanooga, TN.
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