• by Tanya Gazdik , September 21, 2018

Kia Motors America is partnering with Red Bull to market its all-new 2019 Kia Forte.

To launch what the automaker is calling its most sophisticated compact car ever, Kia built a custom, not-for-sale drift car Forte that features a Red Bull wrap, then hired professional race car driver Collete Davis to drive. But she’s not driving the souped-up custom car, she’s featured in the production model. 

Created by David&Goliath, the campaign includes three 30-second spots directed by Jake Scott of RSA Films. 

The first spot, “Forte vs. Forte,” shows Davis literally launching the 2019 Kia Forte off a ramp and jumping it over the drift car Forte -- a feat that Davis performed for real, with no wires, nets, or other stunt drivers in sight -- to demonstrate the Forte’s 8-inch touch screen. 

Two additional spots, “Chicken” and “Smoke Machine,” will air in the coming weeks. A long-form video, “One-Take Wonder” is shot from Davis’ perspective as she speeds down the track and takes flight, jumping an all-new Forte. Seven cameras captured the action from every angle and the entire sequence was shot in just one take.

A suite of digital and social content will be released to round out the campaign, from both Kia and Red Bull.

The Forte takes styling cues from its “big brother,” the Kia Stinger sports car, says Saad Chehab, vice president of marketing communications, Kia Motors America.

“This adrenaline­-filled campaign featuring a baby Stinger in a Red Bull suit screams ‘look at me,’” Chehab says in a release. “Even though some may question the idea of a Forte in racing livery, we are delivering an entirely new take on what many people see as simply a daily commuter car.”

Kia and Red Bull collaborated on the Forte drift car and are developing a three­-part YouTube series hosted by Davis that documents the vehicle build from start to finish, including on-­track testing. 

“Kia is fueled by youth, and working with Red Bull is a mirror reflection of our youthful attitude,” Chehab says.