You can find the styling element on everything, from the Rio to the K900.
Kia has Peter Schreyer, a former BMW executive, at its helm. This is both for performance and style. The Stinger GT is a huge success. Rumours of a performance brand similar to Hyundai’s N-line are also being considered. Schreyer said that the current styling will be retained, especially the “Tiger Nose” grille.
Schreyer stated that the Tiger Nose grille will be around for the foreseeable future in an interview with CarBuzz. This styling element is found on nearly every Kia model: the new K900 to the Stinger to even the entry level Rio. Schreyer claims that the fixture is a branding feature similar to the German marque he used to work for.
He said that he believed the kidney grilles should be used for the tiger nose grille. “Even though BMW is watering them down at this moment […], I’m very happy that we have [the Tiger nose].
Schreyer says that the new design element is not only attractive but also flexible. This is not true for BMW’s signature styling element. “Officially, we have more freedom than the kidney grilles which are more fixed. They can’t break. You can make the tiger’s nose more flexible. It can be adjusted to make it wider, taller, narrower, or smaller. You can also pair it with different headlamps. It always works as long as there are two things in the middle.
While marketing executives in China are pushing for bigger versions of the Tiger Nose with more chrome, Schreyer doesn’t believe that larger is better. The new K900 grilles and the Sedona grilles will be about as big as it gets. Schreyer used Lexus’ spindle grille to illustrate his point, saying that “I don’t know where they go from here.” It was quite shocking and surprising to me when I first saw it. They did it.”