The Pininfarina K350 concept finally broke cover at the 2018 Beijing Auto Show. Designed for Hong Kong-based automaker Hybrid Kinetic Group (HKG), the K350 is a fully electric SUV concept that the automaker is preparing to develop with the H600 and H500 electric sedan concepts. It’s still not confirmed if HKG is giving the green light to build any of these concepts, but if it does, look for the K350 SUV to be the most prominent of the three. Not only is it an EV, but it’s also an SUV, which, as we all know, is a segment that’s selling like hotcakes these days.

2018 Pininfarina K350 Concept Exterior

I just recently mentioned how impressed I was with the design of the Pininfarina K350 Concept. A few good night’s sleep hasn’t changed my mind. It still looks awesome, and I wouldn’t be surprised if, of all the concepts that were shown in Beijing, this is the one that HKG decides to build first.

I’m a big fan of SUVs that don’t try hard to be what they aren’t. Sure, there should always be an element of sportiness to them, but if they’re designed to look like high-riding sports cars, then they start suffering from a little identity crisis. The K350 doesn’t have to deal with that because Pininfarina did a masterful job in giving it an identity of its own. The smooth body, for example, is a great touch. It gives the SUV a fresh look. The body lines flow smoothly, a sign that Pininfarina resisted giving it too many layers. There are no overlapping elements, either. You can take a complete walkaround, and you’ll see how every panel seamlessly transitions to the other.

The front design is excellent. There’s a good balance between the thin-slit headlights, HK’s signature grille, and the vertical slats. The bumper is where you’ll see most of the body cuts, but they’re put in the right places to serve the right intentions. The horizontal line below the headlights is there to emphasize the SUV’s face while the contoured panel surrounding the intakes gives the section a chiseled look.

The hood gets high marks, too, in part because it doesn’t have any aggressive creases that could steal attention away from the overall design. It does have a pair of what appears to be aesthetic trim on opposite ends. I wouldn’t put it there if I were designing the car.

As impressive as the front section is, the rear end of the K350 is even better. I’ve gotten used to the end-to-end light setup, so it’s nothing special here on its own. But if you combine it with how Pininfarina used body lines to separate specific sections instead of actual panels, it gives off a crisp look that we don’t always see on SUVs. The way the roof slopes into the rear hatch also plays a part in the design.

If anything, the only thing I don’t like about the concept’s exterior is the set of wheels. They’re far too aggressive for a concept. But other than that, I’m not changing my mind on my initial thoughts about the K350’s exterior. It’s a work of art.

2018 Pininfarina K350 Concept Interior and Technology

The concept’s exterior is its best feature, but the interior design does well for itself, too. In keeping with its concept form, we get to see a lot of “what-the-heck-is-that" design elements in the cabin. I’m not going to bother with the premium materials because you can see a lot of them covering a majority of the surface area in the interior.

I will start with the dashboard, which actually doubles as housing for the stretched instrument cluster and infotainment system. It’s unclear how it works, but from the looks of it, the entire digital unit can be flipped out and pushed back into the dashboard. There’s another display unit occupying the space in the central tunnel that appears to float diagonally. It’s located near the gear selector panel, which conveniently kicked out the shifter in place of actual buttons that you can push to change gears. It’s great for a concept, but I’m not optimistic that it can translate into the production model.

Move to the seats, and you’ll realize that Pininfarina made liberal use of the floating design technique in the cabin. In addition to the display unit, all four seat cushions are connected to the center armrest. There’s nothing underneath them so, from a visual perspective; they look like they’re floating too. The cushions are also separated from the seatbacks and, again, there’s no support underneath them, either. It’s a novel design feature that also creates invaluable space on the floor, but can it be done on a production model? Unless HKG can come up with a material that can withstand the weight of adult people sitting on these floating cushions, I don’t think you’ll see it in a production version of the K350.

That said, Pininfarina squeezed out a lot of creativity in designing this space. Should we have expected anything less?

2018 Pininfarina K350 Concept Performance and Range

Concepts rarely get specific engines to pair with their concept design. It’s no different with the Pininfarina K350. Neither Pininfarina nor HKG went into the specifics of what’s powering the concept. Instead, we’re told that the SUV has electric motors that produce 403 horsepower. It also has a control unit and a range extender, the latter of which comes into play to help the concept achieve a ridiculous range of 621 miles. The standard range was not announced, but Pininfarina did say that with its powertrain, the K350 can sprint from 0 to 62 mph in 4.7 seconds before hitting a top speed of 155 mph. They’re not mind-blowing numbers but, like with most EVs, range is just as important -- if not more important, as top speed.

If this concept can really do 621 miles on a single charge with a range extender in the mix, then it’d be able to travel from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City, Utah on a single charge. Incredible.

Final Thoughts

I've gushed over the Pininfarina K350 enough. I think it's a tremendously designed concept by Pininfarina that HKG would be smart to find a way to turn into a production model. I don't know if it will, but I think it'd be a waste if the K350 ends up being an out-of-sight-out-of-mind concept. It deserves to be built into a production model.

At the end of the day, isn't that the highest praise you can give a concept?

References

Pininfarina K350 Concept is The Electric SUV You Want To See Hit The Road

Pininfarina's H500 Concept Proves That The Design House Has Serious Goals of Becoming an Automaker

Pininfarina H600 Mates Luxury And Style With High-Tech Hybrid Power.

Read our full review on the 2018 Pininfarina HK GT.

Read more 2018 Beijing Auto Show news.

Read more Pininfarina news.