Marketing is a powerful tool; wielded properly, it can turn out classic ads and lasting impressions like VW’s 1960 “Lemon” spot for the Beetle, or BMW’s “Ultimate Driving Machine.” Wielded with less precision, it can create something like this Kia Sportage dressed for promotional purposes. Make that cross-promotional purposes. The car’s styling (technically, that’s what it is) is modeled after X-Men villain Mystique, who is featured in the upcoming film X-Men: Apocalypse, only the car is being deployed to show off Kia’s sponsorship of the Australian Open 2016 tennis championship. Got that"

Heretofore, shape-shifting comic-book supervillains and tennis have existed as two distinct entities, but Kia is bringing them together like never before. Besides adding chunky fender flares to the 2017 Sportage?an already semi-strange-looking crossover?the vehicle’s creators also added X-shaped bumper overrider elements to the nose and the tail, plus a new grille with a prominent “X” badge. Then there are the splashes of disparate colors added to the front wheels, rear wheels, roof, front bumper overriders, and door mirrors. Together, they’re as fresh as a mixture of a shape-shifting comic-book supervillain and tennis.
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