Kia adds luxury nous with new exterior design hire
Kia has brought in an experienced exterior designer who joins most recently from a stint at Faraday Future but has spent the bulk of his career with Bentley and BMW
John Buckingham has been announced as the head of the Kia Next Design Exterior Group where he will lead the brand’s exterior design activities.
Kia has been slowly but surely edging itself into premium carmaker territory, as evidenced by recent models like the EV9, a slick full-size electric SUV. Buckingham clearly brings the right kind of experience to the table as that move continues, having spent almost his entire career at either premium or hyper-luxury marques.
Buckingham has been involved with a number of luxury outfits in recent years, including the EXP 100 GT concept during his time at Bentley and the BMW Concept 8 Series where he served as the lead exterior designer. Buckingham also spent time with BMW Designworks where he worked on slightly different projects, including a concept for the Los Angeles subway as part of the 2013 LA Design Challenge.
His most recent posting was at Faraday Future over in Los Angeles where he served as senior automotive design manager; it was revealed in March this year that the FF91 EV will launch with a ticket price of over US$300,000. A graduate of Coventry University’s BA Transportation Design course – which we visited recently – Buckingham’s final year project in 2005 was a sculptural Aston Martin Lagonda concept.
He will work alongside another recent promotee, Teck Koun Kim, who was appointed EVP and Head of Kia Next Design Group earlier this year. Previously a seasoned Mercedes designer and now with nearly five years under his belt at Kia, Kim will oversee exterior, interior and CMF design for the entire vehicle lineup while Buckingham will handle exterior design.
Buckingham’s appointment follows another recent shift at the South Korean brand. At the end of last year, Karim Habib was given the top design job, taking the role of EVP and head of Kia design having only joined from Infiniti in 2019.