Kia Motors made no secret of its European ambitions when it employed Peter Schreyer as its Chief Design Officer less than a decade ago. Kia has now shown just how much faith they have in the ex-Audi designer by promoting him to the position of President. This marks the first time a non-Korean has ever held the position in the company’s history.
Over the last six-years at Kia, Schreyer has overseen several new vehicle launches, including the Sportage, Rio, Picanto and Optima. Schreyer is also responsible for establishing Kia’s distinctive and transformative ‘tiger-nose’ design language.
Schreyer, 59, was plucked from Volkswagen / Audi design division in 2006 where at Audi he designed some of their most iconic models, including the Passat and TT. Schreyer will still work out of Frankfurt and keep his position as Kia’s design boss, but he is now one of the three presidents at Kia Motors.
Both Kia and Hyundai are currently presided over by their chairman, Chung Mong Koo. It has been reported that in a recent interview, Volkswagen patriarch, Ferdinand Piech, admitted that it was a mistake for the company to let Schreyer go.
We believe the positive move reflects Kia Motors’ premium ambitions and shows that the company is now focused than ever, on research and development rather than turning a quick profit on its products.
