Kia and DC Do The Improbable - Make Me Want to Buy a Car

Last night, at the Time Warner Center in New York City, Kia Motors of America and DC Entertainment unveiled what is quite possibly the coolest car on the face of the planet, a Batman-inspired Optima designed by legendary DC Comics artist Jim Lee.

You can't see this in the picture, but the headlights are actually the Bat Signal.

This car is the first of eight superhero-themed Kias to be released over the next ten months, each one representing a different core member of the Justice League -- Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg (and one which I'm guessing features all of them). The release of each vehicle will coincide with five major events across the United States -- the first being New York Comic-Con (which starts today), SEMA in Las Vegas, North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Wonder-Con, and of course, San Diego Comic-Con.

The joint venture between Kia and DC will benefit the We Can Be Heroes campaign, which was launched in January and is dedicated to helping fight hunger in Somalia and other countries in the Horn of Africa. In order to raise both awareness and funds, each car is graced with a custom, specially-designed Jim Lee piece of art to be auctioned off at the conclusion of the program. All net proceeds will be donated to the We Can Be Heroes campaign.

"I've got to give it up to the guys at Kia," Lee said at the unveiling. "They really encouraged me to think outside the box." He was, however, determined to avoid any Knight Rider flashbacks.

Each of the eight vehicles is fully-drivable (and I would assume street legal) and will help raise awareness for the We Can Be Heroes campaign by displaying customized license plates, signage, collateral materials and in-vehicle video displays. At the unveiling, Amit Desai, DC Entertainment's Senior Vice President of Franchise Management, said that they chose the Justice League for a number of reasons: "They embody the idea of strength in numbers. They're a great example of banding together to fight for the greater good. And they're characters that everyone in this room and across the nation can relate to on some level. Let's face it: we've got a little bit of superhero in each and every one of us."

I live in New York City, so I don't particularly need or want a car, but if I had the funds, I would kill to drive around in a car with Batman all over it.