Added on October 2, 2019  The News Wheel   , , , , , ,
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New Head of Design Karim Habib Shows Promise for the Future of Kia Vehicles

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Karim Habib Kia Senior Vice President Head of Design Center
Karim Habib, new Senior VP and Head of Kia Design Center
Photo: Kia

Looking at Kia’s latest models, you would think the brand is set when it comes to design. Vehicles like the Stinger and Soul have been grabbing the attention of both prestigious organizations and everyday consumers. But keeping future mobility in mind, Kia has appointed Karim Habib as Senior Vice President and Head of Kia Design Center starting this month.

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Habib has quite the resume over his more than 20 years of premium brand design experience. He started out as an Exterior/Interior Production Designer for the BMW Group, worked his way up through five additional roles until he was named Head of Design in 2012, and he held that position until 2017. He then moved over to the Nissan Motor Company where he was named Executive Design Director for INFINITI, where he was in charge of overseeing the brand’s concept vehicles.

Arts Building McGill University Montreal Canada
McGill University Arts Building, where Habib received his education prior to attending the Art Center College of Design
Photo: DXR

“SVP Habib will be an asset for the Kia brand with his international background and global experience,” said Luc Donckerwolke, Executive Vice President and Chief Design Officer of Hyundai Motor Group. “We highly appreciate Karim’s talent and experience. He is joining Kia at a crucial moment to project the brand into the future of mobility and to reinforce the young-spirited and motivated design team which has won numerous international design awards.”

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In his new role, Habib will be in charge of Kia’s interior, exterior, color, and material teams. His vision will help to define the future of Kia’s design strategy and the overall direction of the brand. Considering Kia has recently released a handful of incredible concepts that have evolved into production models, it should be exciting to see what Karim Habib brings to the table in the next few years.