The fourth-generation Kia Rio, which made its North American debut in Montreal, has just won a 2017 Red Dot award. It features distinct changes to its profile, offering buyers a bold new design and a modern, efficiently packaged cabin with the latest infotainment and safety technologies.
Furthermore, the all-new Kia Niro hybrid crossover received Red Dot praise for its attention to detail. It combines the practicality of a compact SUV with a sleek appearance, differentiating it from more conservatively designed hybrid models.
Meanwhile, the Kia Optima Sportswagon, designed exclusively for the European market, won the competition’s highest “Best of the Best” distinction for ground-breaking design.
“The design of the three models that have been honoured with the Red Dot Award was the result of the very close collaboration between our design centers in Korea, Germany, and the United States,” said Peter Schreyer, President and Chief Design Officer of Kia Motors Corporation. “Our global design team has every right to be proud of this new triple triumph as it underlines Kia’s high design quality, which is unanimously recognized by experts.”
Initiated in Germany back in 1955, Red Dot is one of the world’s largest product competitions, with the “red dot” symbol being recognized as an international seal of excellence. This year, the jury of 39 designers, professors and journalists used criteria such as innovation, functionality, ergonomics, symbolic and emotional content, self-explanatory quality, and ecological compatibility.
Kia has now won 18 Red Dot awards since 2009. Earlier this year, the company also took home three iF Design awards, plus an EyesOn award with the new Kia Stinger at the NAIAS in Detroit.
