No more Kia Soul?

The problem with Hyundai/KIa is they dropped the use of German designers and engineers after COVID and they are now all Asian designs and I think they epically failed on their designs. The new Kona looks like Mitsubishi designed it, instead of the usual BMW/Audi hired designers. The Kia Forte was wrecked when the Asian designers changed the front nose clip and the rear tail clip. Again, it was like Mitsubishi designed it.
 
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...The new Kona looks like Mitsubishi designed it...
Let's not insult Mitsubishi designers now 😊

The new Kona looks like the 2004 Ssangyong Rodius to me. And I suspect the same (Korean) designer, or their kin, were involved. The same that did the four-headlight RD2 facelift of the Tiburon.

Somehow, instead of being culled by Nature and kicked to the deadend branch of the evolutionary design tree where it belongs, this wicked design gene hopped 20 years ahead and flourished.

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Same back that seems to be made of two completely independent parts glued together, same insanity...

The problem is that the Koreans might have taken over from the previous German designers, but they are trying to follow the new German designers. The ones who stacked two separate levels of headlights on the new 7 series - the same feeling of two mismatching cars sliced and glued together.
 
It is the ultimate manifestation of a time in Korean design when they were trying to become brave, but were otherwise completely lost design-wise. What was typical were "normal" car elements that seemed to have been glued together by a deaf bat. I seriously suspect someone either with a condition, or very spiteful, designed these.

Otherwise Ssangyong is not much to write home about. Back when this thing was designed they actually did have a genuine partnership (at some level) with Mercedes Benz, and access to MB diesel engines.

They even had an E124 base with W140 body panels - mostly W140 length, on W124 wheelbase.

But what is disgustingly striking in the new Kona (at least the rear) is - again - the body parts seemingly coming from different vehicles, put together. Somehow, somewhere, someone, is again considering this as being smart.
 
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