DC Comics and Kia Motors teamed up to help stamp out hunger via the
“We Can Be Heroes” campaign which is working to end hunger in Africa.
The
companies paired up to create eight, one-of-a-kind vehicles to help get
the charities message out. the vehicles, each a different model from
Kia, sport characters from “The Justice League” comic books. Two of
those cars are currently on display at the North America International
Auto Show in Detroit.
The cars eventually will be auctioned off, with the money going to support the charity.
Each vehicle contains the custom artwork of legendary comic artist Jim Lee. Lee is also the co-publisher of DC Comics.
“It was a thrill to see custom cars based
upon my Justice League artwork and sketches,” Lee said in a statement.
“I have to tip my hat to the teams at West Coast Customs, ‘Rides’ and
‘Super Street’ on their innovative work creating cars that represent
iconic characters like Green Lantern, Cyborg, Aquaman and The Flash –
all to benefit a great cause.”
The cars that are on display in Detroit include a Green Lantern inspired Soul, and a Batman inspired Optima.
The
Soul sports a dapper green and black two-tone exterior paint scheme
complete with green mirror-chrome tint on the windows. Super Street’s
build team lowered the Soul to improve its stance and applied widened
wheel wells with one-off 18 x 10.5-inch deep-dish wheels. Traditionally
a four-door vehicle, the Soul’s back doors have been welded shut to
streamline its appearance. Blacked out headlights feature projector
beams that glow green. Customized Green Lantern-logo fog lights in the
widened front fascia, and green LED lighting further enhance the overall
appearance
A custom rear cargo compartment houses the Green
Lantern power battery with his signature lantern logo etched into a
clear panel displaying the superhero’s oath lit by LEDs. The rear deck
also holds a video monitor to display the “We Can Be Heroes” promotional
video. Up front, the Soul’s steering wheel and front seats were
reupholstered with green and black leather and includes the Green
Lantern logo stitched into the seat backs. Other interior touches
include various dash pieces painted in the green and black scheme.
The
Optima sports a matte- and piano-black paint scheme, a dramatically
lowered coilover suspension and muscular ground effects kit, huge Ksport
performance brakes for extreme stopping power, custom-designed 20-inch
black wheels with one-of-a-kind Batman-logo center caps and a
performance exhaust system. Other exterior modifications include a
custom front grille shaped like a batwing that took over 40 hours to
create, yellow LED lighting accents throughout the vehicle and the
iconic bat signal etched into the SXL’s HID headlights.
Moving beneath the cape, the Optima‘s seating surfaces are costumed in
custom black leather and suede with bold yellow accent stitching. Gotham
City‘s streets — the place that Batman calls home — are full of
villains, and this Optima is ready for action at a moment‘s notice with
crime-fighting elements like utility throwing stars installed in the
center console.
The other cars in the fleet include a Cyborg inspired Forte, an Aquaman inspired Rio, and a Flash inspired Forte Coupe.
There
are still three cars in the fleet yet to be unveiled, they are set to
feature Superman, Wonder Woman and a special vehicle with all 7-members
of the team.
“We are proud to be raising awareness for the ’We
Can Be Heroes’ campaign and look forward to unveiling three more
crime-fighting Kias at future auto shows,” said Michael Sprague,
executive vice president of marketing for Kia.
We Can Be Heroes
supports the efforts of three humanitarian aid organizations working in
Africa—Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy
Corps—as part of the global effort to fight the current hunger crisis in
the Horn of Africa. The region is suffering its worst drought and
famine in over 60 years, with 13 million in need of critical assistance.
Source: Press and Guide