Kia Concept EV2 blends user-focused design with material innovations as a vision for future Kia interiors
- Inspired by ‘picnic in the city’ lifestyle concept, the Kia Concept EV2 combines comfort and versatility for a user-centric experience
- Environmentally conscious materials such as cellulose, mycelium, and flax fibre bio-composites enhance durability while supporting a circular economy
- The Concept EV2 electric SUV reflects Kia’s vision for urban mobility and responsible design, highlighted by innovative interior
Kia’s designers have revealed new details on the inspiration behind its new Concept EV2’s interior design as part of the model featuring in the brand’s Transcend Journey exhibit at Milan Design Week 2025.
The Concept EV2 represents a leap forward in urban mobility highlighted by its bold interior innovations in terms of design concept and materials. Concept EV2’s cabin combines flexible design and environmentally conscious materials for a truly unique user experience. Unveiled at Kia’s EV Day in Barcelona in February, the Concept EV2 is a B-segment electric SUV that embodies Kia’s forward-thinking approach to urban mobility.
Key takeaways from the Kia Concept EV2’s interior
- Blends lifestyle focus, CMF innovation, space versatility and durability
- Offers a vision of future Kia interior design, highlighting the brand’s environmentally conscious material aims while offering user-focused experience and tech
- Incorporates innovative and advanced materials such as Simplifyber Fybron™, mycelium (with Biomyc), and AmpliTex™ (with Bcomp) to enhance circularity
What is the inspiration behind the Concept EV2’s interior?
The Concept EV2’s interior has been designed to feel open and seamlessly connected – both inside and out – reflecting Kia’s ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy. It blends compact dimensions with spacious flexibility, offering a highly functional, environmentally mindful space that responds to the needs of modern urban life.
The interior design takes cues from the overarching ‘picnic in the city’ lifestyle concept, with balconies and terraces serving as the central inspiration. Just as these urban architectures features offer small yet meaningful spaces for relaxation within a busy environment, the Concept EV2’s interior is designed to offer a similar sense of openness and flexibility. This design approach reflects a balance between everyday practicality and moments of leisure – right in the heart of the city.
With everyday usability in mind, Kia focused on maximising the functionality of the first-row space, which is typically the primary space in vehicles of this size. Thanks to the flat-floor layout, the second-row seats fold up while the front seats can slide far back to expand the cabin. Additional side-extendable seat elements expand the cabin even further to support a variety of activities, transforming the interior into a more adaptable, user-friendly space.
The Concept EV2 also integrates thoughtful, lifestyle-focused features including seat headrest-integrated speakers, portable door speakers, side-extendable seats, detachable seat cushions, and pop-up luggage dividers – all of which can be used to enhance leisure activities like a city picnic. These design elements showcase Kia’s vision for future EV interiors that are intuitive, engaging, and centred around the user.
How do colour, materials, and finish (CMF) play a role in the Concept EV2’s interior?
Concept vehicles offer designers the freedom to explore and present innovative materials, serving as a platform to experiment with new ideas that reflect the long-term direction for future production models. Colour, materials and finish play a key role in this approach.
The Concept EV2’s interior combines innovation and responsible design, with Kia’s CMF team working closely with partners to introduce environmentally conscious materials that enhance the driving experience while aiming to reduce environmental impact.
One standout material is Simplifyber Fybron™, a next-generation cellulose-based compound used for the vehicle’s dashboard and door panels. Made from renewable sources like wood, paper, and recycled textiles, this material reduces reliance on traditional plastics and ensures the vehicle’s interior is both environmentally aware and durable.
This innovative material minimises waste through a liquid-based process that eliminates the need for weaving or spinning. It also enhances the tactile experience with its soft, premium feel, offering a cleaner, more environmentally mindful alternative to conventional materials while maintaining long-lasting performance. Its warm, refined texture provides a perfect balance of comfort and technical elegance.
What role does mycelium play in the Concept EV2’s interior?
In collaboration with Kia partner Biomyc, Kia biodegradable mycelium components, including hemp and mycelium-based materials, feature in the Concept EV2’s interior. These parts are carefully cultivated and custom-coloured to match Kia’s specific Pantone shades, creating a cohesive and visually refined interior.
Two distinct types of mycelium materials are used. The first is a mycelium-infused polyurethane (PU), applied across the overall light blue surfaces in the interior. Fine brown speckles – actual mycelium particles – are embedded throughout, adding natural texture and depth. The second is a grown volume material, created by mycelium cells that bind cellulose from agricultural waste into solid structure. Its natural insulating properties make it ideal for use in the door armrest, where it demonstrates both function and environmental consideration.
Mycelium is a renewable, bio-based material with excellent insulation properties, helping to create a more comfortable cabin environment while reducing its reliance on synthetic, non-biodegradable materials.
The materials are grown with careful attention to environmental impact, and over 180 samples are tested to find the optimal combination of coatings, paints, and additives. This thorough process ensures the final product meets Kia’s high standards for durability, aesthetics, and environmental responsibility, while aiming to meet the expectations of customers who prioritise both quality and environmental care.
How do bio-based composites enhance the Concept EV2’s interior?
Kia’s collaboration with Bcomp introduces AmpliTex™, a bio-based composite material made from flax fibres, into key structural components within the Concept EV2’s cabin, such as the back seat shell and front seat substructures.
Replacing conventional synthetic materials significantly reduces the overall weight of the vehicle while maintaining levels of strength and robustness required from a lifestyle-focused SUV. This not only enhances fuel efficiency but also supports a more environmentally conscious vehicle lifecycle.
The innovative material is fully recyclable, contributing to Kia’s vision of a circular economy. At the end of its lifecycle, AmpliTex™ can be broken down and reprocessed into composite pellets for reuse, reducing waste and promoting a more environmentally aware production process.
Kia’s CMF team has also worked to develop a custom dark-blue finish, adding an aesthetic layer that complements the vehicle’s eco-friendly design without sacrificing visual appeal.
Kia collaborates with Bcomp, Simplifyber and Biomyc, bringing innovative components to Kia Concept EV2
- Partnership with Bcomp reduces environmental impact through implementation of Swiss company’s innovative flax-based ampliTex™
- Proprietary cellulose-based Simplifyber formulation employed in Kia Concept EV2’s dashboard and door panels to reduce the use of plastic
- Durable, bio-degradable interior components flawlessly grown and coloured using Biomyc mushroom material
- Kia’s Concept EV2 is a B-segment electric SUV that embodies Kia’s forward-thinking approach to urban mobility
Kia Corporation today announced details of collaborations with selected cutting-edge materials companies, the real-world benefits of which have been demonstrated through the creation of environmentally conscious components for the brand’s new Concept EV2.
Working with partners including Bcomp, Simplifyber and Biomyc, Kia aims to further accelerate the development and production of bio-produced materials, which can replace commonly used contemporary synthetics – such as plastic – in its future vehicles.
“The industry-leading expertise of our partners in bio-based composites allowed us to redefine what’s possible in automotive interiors with the Concept EV2,” said Nathalie Bucher, Senior Designer CMF at Kia Europe Design Center. “As we aim to bring innovative material solutions to the mass market, ongoing collaborations with companies like Biomyc, Simplifyber and Bcomp ensure that every material aligns perfectly with our vision, reinforcing our commitment to creating stylish, environmentally aware, and high-quality vehicles for the future.”
Unveiled at Kia’s EV Day in Barcelona, the Concept EV2 is a B-segment electric SUV that embodies Kia’s forward-thinking approach to urban mobility. Designed for an active, connected lifestyle, the Concept EV2 is a vision of how Kia could redefine expectations for compact electric vehicles, with its spacious, multi-configurable interior, and an aesthetic that seamlessly integrates form with function.
Kia x Bcomp
Kia has partnered with Swiss cleantech company Bcomp to deploy its innovative ampliTex™ material into key components of the Concept EV2, specifically in the back seat shell and front seat substructures. Building upon Bcomp’s previous collaboration with Kia on its Concept EV3 and Concept EV4 models, this partnership continues to demonstrate the potential for large-scale implementation of bio-based composites, paving the way for wider adoption in production vehicles.
By replacing conventional synthetic materials with ampliTex™, the Concept EV2 prioritises responsible design choices without compromising on performance or aesthetics. Delivering circularity by nature, ampliTex™ also offers end-of-life benefits, supporting a more environmentally conscious approach to automotive interior design, including the ability to be recycled into composite pellets for further reuse.
The unique properties of ampliTex™, derived from flax fibres, offer exceptional lightweighting benefits, enhanced durability, and a refined aesthetic that elevates the interior experience.
Bcomp also worked closely with the CMF designers at Kia Europe Design Center to develop a custom dark-blue finish, enhancing the vehicle’s stunning visual appeal with a vibrant colourway.
“Our collaboration with Kia on the Concept EV2 is another step toward the mainstream adoption of natural fibre composites in automotive interiors,” said Nicolas Samson, Sales Manager at Bcomp. “Kia’s forward-thinking approach to mobility aligns perfectly with our mission to push the boundaries of innovative interior solutions, and together we’re proving that such materials can enhance both vehicle aesthetics and functionality at scale.”
Kia x Simplifyber
Kia’s latest collaboration with Simplifyber, a leading innovator in bio-based material technology, integrates further environmentally conscious interior components into the Concept EV2.
Simplifyber developed and produced the Concept EV2’s dashboard and door panels using its next-generation proprietary cellulose-based formulation, Simplifyber Fybron™ – a material made from a mix of sources including wood, paper and/or recycled textiles. This collaboration marks Kia as the first automotive brand to apply Simplifyber Fybron™ in vehicle design.
The formulation used for the Concept EV2’s interior consists of 56% FSC-certified cellulose fibres (31% wood pulp, 25% lyocell), 21% FSC-certified natural rubber latex, 12% bio-based binders, and 11% synthetic fibres.
The liquid-based manufacturing process eliminates the need for spinning or weaving, with the material produced on-site at Simplifyber’s facility in Raleigh, North Carolina. The resulting components arriving at Kia manufacturing facilities already in the desired shape and with the correct texture, minimising production offcuts and significantly reducing assembly time.
This material innovation allows for both soft and flexible, and rigid components delivering the necessary durability to be created on the same assembly line, showcasing the dexterity of the company’s manufacturing system.
“Simplifyber is incredibly pleased to be a part of Kia’s future in resource-efficient interior innovation,” commented Maria Intscher-Owrang, CEO and Co-Founder of Simplifyber. “In providing cost-effective and environmentally mindful ways of replacing plastics within the Concept EV2 dashboard, Kia is leading the industry in this collaboration. Our materials are a step forward into new design territory, enabling greater manufacturing efficiency at a lower price – and Kia is showing how that can be done.”
Kia x Biomyc
Kia’s partnership with award-winning materials design firm Biomyc incorporates durable, bio-degradable components grown by the Bulgarian company as part of the Concept EV2’s interior. Crafted from mushroom material (hemp and mycelium), the partnership also employs an advanced coloration process that achieves Kia’s specified Pantone shades precisely.
Tasked with creating a functional mycelium component for the car to serve as both insulation and a visually impactful design element, Biomyc designed a complex mold and developed a method to grow the part with a flawless mycelium skin.
The company also conducted a research project to explore ecologically aware coatings, paints, and additives capable of modifying the colour of the mushroom-based material. Each option was carefully selected based on criteria including supply and overall environmental impact.
As part of the project, Biomyc created more than 180 samples featuring different coatings, paints, and additives. The results are not only seen within the Concept EV2 but were compiled into a comprehensive document to serve as a future reference for the Kia design department.
“It’s an honor to be chosen as an interior innovation partner to a brand as forward-thinking as Kia,” said Atanas Enev, Founder & Lead Designer at Biomyc. “Kia’s commitment to pioneering environmentally conscious materials in automotive design made this an ideal collaboration. Its bold vision aligned perfectly with our expertise in mushroom material, from advanced moulding and coloration to rapid prototyping. Together, we’ve shown that innovative materials can meet automotive standards and move from an idea to a real-world concept without compromise. It’s a bold step for mycelium material adoption.”