The new Kia K5 (Optima) has an extremely
edgy and striking design, one that we think looks superb. However, if the idea
of driving a vehicle with a Kia badge doesn’t sit well with you, a small Korean
company dubbed Brenthon has the solution.
If you haven’t heard of Brenthon before,
don’t worry because most people probably haven’t. As detailed by Jalopnik a
couple of years ago, Brenthon is a company that appears to exclusively sell
badges and a new name for Kia and Hyundai models. That’s right, the company has
managed to establish itself through some intelligent marketing when all it does
is produce emblems, badges, and wheel caps, exactly what it has done for the
new Kia Optima.
A look at the Brenthon website reveals
that buying a new front badge for the latest-generation Optima costs just
32,000 South Korean won or roughly US$ 27. A rear badge costs the same while a
badge for the steering wheel is priced at 18,000 won (US$ 15) and the wheel caps
are available for 40,000 won (US$ 33). The Optima pictured also includes a large
badge that reads ‘Brenthon’ on the tailgate although we haven’t been able to
find pricing for it.
The company promotes itself through flashy
images and marketing campaigns filled with glamour models and it’d be easy to
be fooled into thinking it is some kind of tuning company. We don’t really
understand the appeal of replacing Kia badges with Brenthon ones, however. If
you’re driving a Kia or Hyundai wearing Brenthon badges, someone will
inevitably ask you about the company and you’ll be forced to explain that you
are in fact driving a Kia or Hyundai but didn’t want the world to know it.
