[Brookside]

Peter Schreyer
Peter Schreyer, former Audi/VW design chief to spearhead Kia Motors’ global design initiatives.
Schreyer rose to prominence during an eight-year stint at Audi in which he established a classic Bauhaus-inspired lineage that is now reflected across the Audi lineup. Reportedly, the impetus for his leaving Volkswagen was a long-running dispute with VW design boss Murat Gunak.

VW insiders had been saying for two years that it would be only a matter of time before Schreyer was forced to move on. Since last year, when he was passed over in favor of Skoda design boss Thomas Ingenlath to head up Volkswagen's newly established advanced design studio in Berlin, the 53-year-old Schreyer had played a low-key role in Volkswagen design circles.

He left an important mark on the design language at Audi, that still distinguishes all the brand's models.

Peter Schreyer first joined Audi in 1978 for a student stage: in 1994 he was part of the design team (JMays, Freeman Thomas) responsible for the original Audi TT.

Seoul, Jul 31 2006 (Korea Newswire)-- Kia Motors Corporation announced today that it has appointed leading automotive industry designer Peter Schreyer, who designed world renown “cult” cars like the New Beetle and the Audi TT, to the newly created position of Chief Design Officer. Mr. Schreyer’s appointment will complement Kia’s significantly increasing emphasis on automobile design and support the ongoing regeneration of its model range.

Schreyer (53), who officially begins his new role on September 1, will oversee Kia's domestic and international design functions and will be responsible for implementing the company's design vision in line with its 'exciting and enabling' brand values that target a young-at-heart and adventurous target customer base. Euisun Chung, President & CEO of Kia Motors Corporation, said, "As we continue to develop the Kia brand across all key regional markets, we are required to continually enhance our range of vehicles through world class, innovative advances in product design. This appointment underlines our commitment to meeting and exceeding customer expectations by accurately reflecting modern aesthetics and regional and cultural sensibilities."

"Mr. Schreyer's track record over many years in the automotive sector speaks for itself and we are looking forward to working with him to lay out a long-term strategy that will center on molding a unique and consistent design lineage for the entire future Kia lineup. We are focused on boosting our competitiveness on the world stage by dramatically upgrading the design element of our vehicle lineup while adding a strong emotional dimension to the brand," said Mr. Chung.

Schreyer will oversee the design activities of the company’s regional design centers in Frankfurt, Los Angeles and Tokyo as well as the company’s flagship Namyang Design Center in Korea.

Schreyer will not only be responsible for the design of the entire range of Kia models, but will also play a significant role in advancing the company’s worldwide brand footprint. Schreyer’s central task will be to mold the future face of the brand and models from the same clay. According to Peter Schreyer, "Good design not only transmits clear messages through the products, but also solidifies the company's brand positioning and overall company image."
n his new function, the German automobile designer will occupy a key position for product development within the company. “I’m looking forward to an unbelievably exciting and many-faceted task ahead of me. Kia already has a reputation for successful and reliable products with solid designs and an outstanding price-performance ratio. That brings a payback from customers. While others are treading water, Kia is making tremendous headway,” added Schreyer

Schreyer is scheduled to make his first address to the trade public in his new capacity at the Paris Motor Show in late September, when he will present the key elements of the new Kia design strategy for the first time. Kia's first ever vehicle to be produced in Europe specifically for European customers -- a five door family hatchback codenamed 'ED' -- will also make its world premiere at the event.

The new appointment is the latest stage in a highly successful career that has seen Schreyer become one of the automotive industry's most respected authorities on product design. As Audi's chief designer between 1994 and 2002, he was credited with revamping the Audi brand with a number of revolutionary new auto designs. From 2002 to 2005, he was the chief designer for Volkswagen and since 2005 has been the head of advanced design for the Volkswagen group, earning critical acclaim for several crucial product launches, featuring a range of unique design concepts.

His outstanding creative work has led to many national and international awards, including the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany and the world famous red dot award. He has also won the German National Design Award several times for helping to propel the German auto industry in new directions with his sporty and innovative designs.




PETER SCHREYER DESIGN TRACK RECORD

Volkswagen Design / Projects:

Concept Cars:
- Concept 1 (New Beetle)
- Concept C (Eos)
- Concept R (Roadster)
- Concept T (Buggy)
- GX 3 (Three Wheeler)
- Microbus
- Ragster

Passenger Cars:
- Golf IV & Variant
- Jetta
- Passat B 5 & Variant
- Lupo & Seat Arosa
- New Beetle
- Golf V & Golf Plus
- Golf GTI & Golf R32
- Jetta
- Passat B 6 & Variant
- Eos
- Compact SUV

Audi Design / Projects:

Concept Cars:
- Quattro Spider
- Audi TT & AUDI TTS
- AL 2 & AL 2 open end
- Steppenwolf
- Allroad Quattro
- Avantissimo
- Rosemeyer

Passenger Cars:
- Audi A2
- Audi A3 & A3 Sportsback
- Audi A4 & A4 Avant + Audi Cabrio
- Audi A6 & A6 Avant + Allroad
- Audi A8
- Audi TT & Audi TT Roadster

Racing:
- R8 racing car LeMans

Lamborghini Design / Projects:

- Murcielago
- Gallardo

[Brookside]

Volkswagen "Concept R"

This is big news-rather than emulating German design, Kia has gone out and hired a top-tier world class German designer.

Schreyer's resume is somewhat misleading - he did not design the TT or the Beetle (inspite of the photo in the first entry- Freeman Thomas sketched the first TT design- Schreyer was assigned to propose variations)
- and he oversaw the design of Gallardo & Murcielago rather than being the lead designer.
The "Concept R" was designed by Murat Gunak with input from Schreyer, though I've heard that it was Schreyer's final design that was used for the prototype.
You can see how crazy this gets in terms of claims to authorship and authenticity.
For example the current Audi A4 is Peter Schreyer's work with the exception of Walter daSilva's shield grill grafted onto it...to me, it's very apparent that two different forces were at work on this particular application...one that still looks very awkward and unresloved when I see it.

What Schreyer really did was initiate the overall design philosophy at Audi in the late 1990's that stressed a clean,
very tailored look that has come to be synonymous with Audi/VW product.

Nevertheless this is a huge step forward for Kia- a company already much on the rise.
Schreyer brings to the table an advanced critical eye- one that will be able to spot (hire and promote) rising young designers while avoiding the duplication of design cliches.
Future Kia product will have it's own design DNA....something that only a great designer can manage to do in a complete and logical manner.

[Brookside]

Audi Steppenwolf Concept

Now that the dust is beginning to settle it's easy to see that Peter Schreyer moved out of VW/Audi because he seemed to always be eclipsed by other designers within the organisation. That's pretty obvious now. During his days at VW/Audi he was constantly upstaged...from the outside it looked as if Schreyer was stuck playing second-fiddle within VW/Audi’s design cadre.

What will be interesting is to see if Schreyer can lure away other designers from VW/Audi to create a core of like-minded individuals at Kia. And, you would expect Schreyer to have negotiated a carte blanche contract at Kia...guaranteeing him the freedom and the power to implement change.
It would be ironic if his move only encounters more professional turbulence with his new Korean bosses.