Kia signs former BMW creative director

Kia has appointed Won Kyu Kang as vice-president and head of the Kia design innovation group to lead the strategic development of exterior and interior design across the company’s portfolio. 

Formerly creative director at BMW Group Designworks Shanghai, Kang will start his role in November and be based at the Kia Design Centre in Namyang, Korea. An experienced designer with fifteen years under his belt at BMW where he was lead exterior designer for the 2015 BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage concept, Kang’s appointment signals Kia’s ambition to lead in electrification and mobility. Kang studied transportation design at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California and has overseen a range of exterior design projects, including research into merging premium vehicle design with future mobility technologies.

“I believe Kia will play a major-role in defining the new era of design with a wide range of electrified products and a visionary mobility roadmap for the future. I’m excited to be part of this journey with the committed design team at Kia to further strengthen its product line and design strategy,” says Kang. “I am looking forward to working with the team in new creative directions.