#PeterSchreyer

Legendary designer Peter Schreyer, most known for his work at Audi, has been appointed as the first non-Korean president of Kia Motors. 

The Kia K9 will be the Korean automaker’s flagship luxury sedan, flaunting design lines from Peter Schreyer who has undoubtedly helped transform Kia’s modern day lineup.

Schreyer, who is widely known for his design contributions to the Audi TT model, became the chief design officer at Kia Motors in 2006. Kia’s automobiles haven’t looked the same since then — in a good way.

In a recent video, Peter Schreyer explains the design behind the new Kia K9 rear-wheel drive luxury sedan. This is the Korean automaker’s first rear-wheel drive luxury sedan that will be built on the same platform as the Hyundai Genesis sedan and Equus models.

Watch the video of Peter Schreyer sketching the Kia K9 after the break.

[Source: Carscoop]

Kia design boss Peter Schreyer took Automotive News reporter Ryan Beene on a tour of the Los Angeles Auto Show, outlining his favorite designs of the show floor.

Kia‘s heart-stoppingly cool GT concept was was powered by a 3.3L turbo V6 packing 400 horsepower – but the production version might not get such an exotic powertrain.

It’s dramatic, it’s rear wheel drive and it is, quite simply, unlike anything Kia has ever done before. And it has proved to be one of the star attractions of this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show.

Kia Motors is one of the big winners at the first ever Automotive Brand Contest which was organized by the German Design Council. The judge panel declared Kia Motors the worthy winner in four categories. Three kia models were picked as winners for the exterior category, including the compact Sportage SUV, the forthcoming Rio (on sale from September 2011) and the all new Kia Optima (above). Kia was also ranked ‘Best of Best’ in the brand design category, where strategy and focus of the brand’s overall design is rated.

One of the rising stars of the automotive industry has got to be Kia. The Korean automaker’s beautiful designs combined with good powertrains and affordable pricing has got the attention of many customers and hence their sales numbers are continually climbing.

Kia will build a wagon version of the newly unveiled Optima sedan for the European market and is considering a Coupe. In an interview with the U.K.’s AutoCar, top Kia designer Peter Schreyer confirmed the wagon (or Estate as its likely to be called in Europe) and hinted at a coupe.

Kia has just released a selection of photos of the all-new 2011 Optima (known as the Magentis in some markets), ahead of the car’s world premiere at the New York Auto Show. Simply put, it’s stunning, looking like a more premium German model with a touch of Ford Taurus muscle.

Kia is considering getting into the entry-level rear-drive sports car game with a new model that would likely be based on the architecture of the Genesis Coupe from sister company Hyundai. In an interview with the U.K.’s AutoCar, Kia design boss Peter Schreyer said while the model isn’t in the company’s product plan for the next two years it is something that he’d like to see. Schreyer warned, however, that as Kia is still an emerging company it would have to make a water-tight business car for the vehicle and not just build it for fun.

During a design conference last week in Seoul, Korea, Kia’s top designer showed the above sketch which is believed to be the company’s first full-fledged entry into the rear-drive luxury segment. Referred to as K9, this sketch is thought to foreshadow a concept car that will eventually make its way to production, based on the same architecture at Hyundai’s Genesis sedan.

Just unveiled in its domestic market of South Korea, the all-new Kia Cadenza is set to be introduced throughout several markets in the months to come, including in the U.S. where it will replace the Amanti.