30,000 people google the car brand behind this mysterious ‘KN logo’ every month
Last week, Google published an annual review of popular search results. The Dutch mainly searched for news about the war in Ukraine in 2022, and there was also a big search for ViaPlay, Testing for Access and those involved in the The Voice of Holland scandal. Internationally, people are looking for very different things. A relatively popular search term in 2022 that caught our eye particularly is “KN Car.
KN car
You’ve probably never heard of the “KN Car. Neither do we. That’s because it doesn’t exist. What people are actually looking for are Kia’s models. Indeed, the Korean brand has traded in its old logo in 2021 for one that to the untrained eye closely resembles the letters KN.
Popular
Since Kia is now a very popular brand and there are already countless cars driving around with the new design language and thus the new Kia logo, search traffic for the mysterious KN logo has increased significantly over the past year, according to Google Trends. Also, people regularly type in the search terms “What is KN” and “KN Telluride” into Google.
Americans
According to Google data, it is mostly Americans, Canadians and Australians who do not understand Kia ‘s new logo. Even in the United Kingdom they don’t quite understand how to write the letter N. Some 30,000 people worldwide search for “KN Car” every month. Koreans won’t lose sleep over this, as over two million people google the term “Kia” every month.
What does the new Kia logo stand for?
We kind of understand that not everyone understands the new Kia logo. Especially if you have nothing to do with cars, it may be a bit confusing. Moreover, many new brands are currently emerging – especially from China – so people are confronted with new logos in a short period of time. But what exactly about that new Kia logo?
The explanation for the unusual “N” in the logo – which should actually represent the letters I and A – is that the logo was developed to resemble a written signature. The upward-reaching elements of the logo embody Kia’s high ambitions, according to the brand. Or as Ho Sung Song, President and CEO of Kia Motors Corporation, says of the logo, “The new design of the Kia logo represents our commitment to become an icon for change and innovation. The new logo exudes our commitment to continue to inspire customers as their mobility needs evolve, in addition to being the face of our team’s bold approach to challenges within our industry.” In turn, we find that text more confusing than the new logo itself.