The launch of the Kia Stinger marked a turning point for the brand’s perception in Europe. More than presenting a new model, the real challenge was shifting long-established assumptions about what Kia could be.

Kia was not traditionally associated with high-performance cars. So the question became: what would true car lovers think of the Stinger if they experienced it without knowing who made it? Would the car be able to stand on its own and change minds purely through performance and design?

Starting from this insight, I helped shape a blind experience designed to remove brand bias from the equation. Ten influential car enthusiasts from five different European countries were invited to an undisclosed location, a circuit track in Mallorca, for an exclusive first look and test drive of an “unknown” car.

Only after the experience was the car revealed as the Kia Stinger: a model created to raise the bar in terms of perception, quality and power, and to reposition the brand in the performance conversation.