Kia Promotes Design Innovator Peter Schreyer to President

While there are a lot of reasons that Kia is now riding a streak of 27 consecutive record-breaking sales months in this country—including a growing reputation for value and efficiency—the crisp, aggressive design language introduced to the brand by Peter Schreyer is perhaps the most important. Schreyer’s work transformed the appearance of each and every vehicle in the Kia lineup, with an emphasis on sharp lines and the brand’s now-familiar “tiger shark” grille. Of course, effective and eye-catching design is exactly what one would have expected from Schreyer, who first made his mark as the artist behind vehicles like the VW New Beetle and original Audi TT.

With that kind of track record of success, it’s also no surprise to learn that Schreyer recently was named one of Kia’s three presidents, becoming the first non-Korean to hold the position with the brand (which is controlled by the same South Korean-based parent company that owns Hyundai). Needless to say, Schreyer will remain chief design officer for Kia as well, continuing to lend his award-winning skills to new products like the upcoming 2013 Kia Quoris flagship sedan, set to debut in the United States in the near-term future.

“This combination of power and styling for the [Quoris] is a breakthrough for Kia, and it’s a breakthrough into new customer segments,” Schreyer has said, while also noting that the new vehicle “signals our ability to be successful in competition with the European luxury brands. And for Kia, our customers, and for me—this car is like a dream.”