Kia’s new interior spotted with a larger infotainment screen and Hyundai’s high-tech software

This is a car news story, not a home energy story, so it does not affect any energy upgrade or rebate decisions for your house.

For context: Kia appears set to bring a new interior and infotainment system, shared with Hyundai and Genesis, into upcoming models. Spy shots of a disguised Kia K5 show a larger center touchscreen and a redesigned steering wheel, closely matching the setup already used in Hyundai vehicles. The new software is called Pleos Connect, built on Android Automotive OS, and is designed to feel more like a smartphone, with customizable apps and windows you can arrange to show multiple things at once. It also includes an in-car AI assistant called Gleo AI. Hyundai's version of this screen comes in two sizes, a 12.9 inch or a 14.6 inch display, on its IONIQ 3 model.

Kia's current cars use a different, older system called Navigation Cockpit, so this would be a notable upgrade. The K5 test car suggests Kia is starting with a mainstream model rather than a flagship, though the company may be testing the setup on other vehicles too. More details are expected around 2027, when Kia plans to release its first "software-defined vehicle," a car built around updatable software rather than fixed hardware.