BMW’s facelifted 1-Series hatch has drawn criticism for the design of its grille. Forum posters have noticed the similarity between the 1-Series grille and the ones used by Kia a decade ago. Likeness to the 2010s Kia Ceed is hard to ignore. Korean brands’ current designs exude a confidence that tells us the automakers know what they stand for, who their customers are and what they want.
We’re totally open to the brand’s designers coming up with new versions of the grille, as they have many times over the years. The 1980s Z1, 1990s 8-Series, 1995 5-Series and last year’s Vision Neue Klasse sedan concept all featured grille treatments, and we loved every one. And we’ve seen the brand merge the kidneys on other recent models like the 5-Series and not minded, because the cars still had a clear identity.