IRVINE, California — Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of Kia Motors America and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia formally opened its new $130 million headquarters facility in Irvine, California. The centerpiece is Kia Design Center America, a striking building with 100,700 square feet devoted to design as well as the latest in digital design tools.
"Over 50 percent of our design capability comes from the latest digital design tools," noted Tom Kerns, Kia Motors U.S. chief designer. He was joined in his presentation by Kia's worldwide design chief, Peter Schreyer.
The $45 million design studio was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, renowned for its steel-and-glass structures around the world. The building's distinguishing feature is a dramatic 6,000-square-foot canopy. Kia had been encouraged by the city of Irvine to add some architectural character to this otherwise bland suburb in Orange County, California.
The design facility incorporates 45 workstations and nine offices. Up to eight vehicles can be modeled simultaneously, and a computerized milling machine permits full-size models to be rapidly created. All the usual craft and presentation areas are in place, but the most intriguing is a 2-D presentation room, a kind of darkroom in virtual reality where up to three full-size digital images can be projected for evaluation and comparison.
Kia has made design in general a top priority as it struggles to create a separate identity from its parent company Hyundai. It's not a small matter either, because Kia sold more than 305,000 vehicles in the U.S. last year.
What this means to you: The Kia Design Center represents the newest among 17 design studios from major manufacturers now located in Southern California. We'll see if digital design delivers excellence as well as speed. — Michael Jordan, Executive Editor
"Over 50 percent of our design capability comes from the latest digital design tools," noted Tom Kerns, Kia Motors U.S. chief designer. He was joined in his presentation by Kia's worldwide design chief, Peter Schreyer.
The $45 million design studio was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, renowned for its steel-and-glass structures around the world. The building's distinguishing feature is a dramatic 6,000-square-foot canopy. Kia had been encouraged by the city of Irvine to add some architectural character to this otherwise bland suburb in Orange County, California.
The design facility incorporates 45 workstations and nine offices. Up to eight vehicles can be modeled simultaneously, and a computerized milling machine permits full-size models to be rapidly created. All the usual craft and presentation areas are in place, but the most intriguing is a 2-D presentation room, a kind of darkroom in virtual reality where up to three full-size digital images can be projected for evaluation and comparison.
Kia has made design in general a top priority as it struggles to create a separate identity from its parent company Hyundai. It's not a small matter either, because Kia sold more than 305,000 vehicles in the U.S. last year.
What this means to you: The Kia Design Center represents the newest among 17 design studios from major manufacturers now located in Southern California. We'll see if digital design delivers excellence as well as speed. — Michael Jordan, Executive Editor
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