Kia appoints Karim Habib to devise new design direction
Hyundai has announced that Infiniti’s departing head of design is moving to Seoul to guide the Kia brand
Karim Habib, whose departure from Infiniti was recently announced, has been appointed as senior vice president and head of Kia Design Center, effective from October 2019. He is tasked with devising and developing the future design direction for Kia vehicles, as well as overseeing the design – exterior, interior, and colour and materials – of new models already in the pipeline, and will be based in the Kia studio in Namyang, South Korea, within the Hyundai Motor Group’s new, state-of-the-art, global design centre.
Habib will report to Luc Donckerwolke, executive vice president and chief design officer, Hyundai Motor Group. He said in a statement that he had admired Donckerwolke’s work “for many years, as well as [that of] the Kia design team that has created some truly remarkable designs,” and added: “Kia is a growing, ambitious brand on a determined path towards electrification and mobility innovation. I am thrilled to be a part of this transformation to strengthen the Kia brand further into the future of the automotive industry, which promises to be full of challenges and opportunities.”
Donkerwolke, meanwhile, said that Habib “will be an asset for the Kia brand with his international background and global experience. 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.”
Habib’s relatively short spell at Infiniti saw him present vehicles including the QS and QX Inspiration concepts, and of course, the Prototype 10 speedster, and he has been credited with helping to establish a distinctive design language for the brand as it electrified: “as a key member of our global design organisation, Karim was a key collaborator and leader helping Nissan Motors shape the electrification of Infiniti. In addition, he was a key member of Global Design’s management committee as we incorporated new technologies, new processes and new directions for Nissan and Infiniti,” said Alfonso Albaisa, senior VP, Nissan Global Design, wishing him well.
Habib left BMW in January 2017, where he had been head of design for around five years and worked – minus two years (2009-11) at Daimler – since 1998. A graduate of the Transportation Design course at Art Center, Pasadena, he earlier studied mechanical engineering at McGill University, Montreal.