Hyundai Motor and Kia win nine honors at 2025 IDEA Awards

Hyundai Motor and Kia said on the 22nd that they won nine awards at the 2025 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA), organized by the Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA): two silver awards, one bronze award, five finalist awards and a Curator’s Choice Award.

Along with Germany’s iF Design Award and Red Dot Design Award, the IDEA is considered one of the world’s top three design awards. Founded in 1980, it is North America’s leading design competition. Each year, it evaluates entries against criteria including design innovation, user benefits and social responsibility to select the best designs in each category.

Hyundai Motor and Kia showcased their world-class design capabilities, winning nine awards across categories including Automotive & Transportation, Environments, Commercial & Industrial and Service Design.

In Automotive & Transportation, Kia’s PV5 WKNDR concept won silver, and Hyundai Motor’s IONIQ 9 won bronze. The all-new PALISADE and INITIUM, a hydrogen fuel cell concept car, were named finalists.

The silver-winning PV5 WKNDR concept is an off-road electric adventure van built around Kia’s “Platform Beyond Vehicle” (PBV) concept. Its modular design allows the interior and exterior to be reconfigured, while onboard energy solutions such as solar panels combine practicality, versatility and sustainable technology.

The bronze-winning Hyundai IONIQ 9 is a large electrified SUV inspired by a boat, combining a sleek exterior with a spacious, comfortable interior. Its “Aerosthetic” silhouette optimizes airflow while offering generous interior space.

In the Environments category, CX Smart Farm at the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS) won silver and was also named the Curator’s Choice—the sole entry to receive the distinction. Na Oh, a Korean restaurant on the third floor of HMGICS, was named a finalist for its innovative space design, which delivers a better customer experience and greater value.

The CX Smart Farm, which won both silver and the Curator’s Choice Award, is the world’s first robotics-based experiential smart farm and brings sustainability and the vision for future mobility together in one space. Visitors can take part in every step, from sowing seeds and growing crops to harvesting and tasting them, for a unique experience combining human-centered technology and values.

Hyundai Motor and Kia’s X-ble Shoulder from the Robotics LAB was named a finalist in Commercial & Industrial, while their Automatic Charging Robot (ACR) service for electric vehicles was named a finalist in Service Design.

Hyundai Motor and Kia said the awards reflect the Hyundai Motor Group’s design philosophy and vision for the future. They added that they will continue to pursue unconventional designs to deliver distinctive value and drive innovation in the customer experience.