Peter Schreyer's influence extends from Kia into Hyundai with the announcement from Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corp that he has been appointed President of the Hyundai and Kia design centres.
The move in order to streamline resources, create synergy between the two brands and strengthen competitiveness.
Both Hyundai and Kia have come a long way in terms of design, under their own unique design philosophies, ‘Fluidic Sculpture’ and ‘The simplicity of the straight line’, respectively.
Hyundai Motor introduced its new design philosophy ‘Fluidic Sculpture’ in 2009 and applied it to its entire lineup, starting from the new-generation Sonata that year. In addition to increased production capabilities worldwide, the new designs contributed to significant sales growth in the global market.
Kia also created its own design-DNA called ‘The simplicity of the straight line’, led by Schreyer in 2006, and applied it to its entire lineup. Kia’s design management has proven successful, winning awards such as the red dot design award and iF design award.
Schreyer will lead the long-term design vision and strategy for Hyundai and Kia, based on the Group’s vision. In particular, by overseeing the Group’s design resources, he will further cement the two brands’ differentiation strategies according to each company’s brand direction.
Peter Schreyer had been head of Audi and Volkswagen design before joining Kia in 2006 as Chief Design Officer. His appointment to President of Kia Motors Corp in December last year was a historical moment in the company's history as he is the first non-Korean to hold the position. We ran the story here: http://my.news.yahoo.com/german-invades-korean-stronghold-023245019.html;_ylt=Av7qze0VLZeqOgKmLf5O11Sfn8h_;_ylu=X3oDMTQ2ZzM0dXAzBG1pdANMYXRlc3ROZXdzIExpc3RpbmcEcGtnAzg0ZGQxZjQ2LTlhN2UtMzRlYS05MTIzLTBjOWUwNTcyODE3NQRwb3MDNDQEc2VjA01lZGlhU3RvcnlMaXN0VGVtcAR2ZXIDNjNhNDc4ZjAtNTJmMy0xMWUyLWJlZmUtYmE2MmE4ZDNlYmI0;_ylg=X3oDMTFlbTRtdDE5BGludGwDbXkEbGFuZwNlbi1teQRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3
