13 Mar 07
The designer's only physical contribution to the Kia brand so far has been the Cee'd convertible concept, unveiled at Geneva.
'I initiated this car,' he says. 'We made it for this show and now have to wait to see where our direction goes before making further decisions.'
Opting for a soft-top was an unusual choice in today's market. 'The soft top convertible is the classic convertible to me. I think it has a lot more romance and a lot more character. I believe the soft top will have a renaissance. I personally like it very much,' he says with a smile. 'For me it is so much more emotional than a hard top.'
As we part company, we ask him what he will bring with him from his time at Audi and VW. 'Oh everything,' he says. 'I have had a very long experience at the VW Group. I cannot say I will bring any details but I will bring my overall experiences to Kia.'
1953 - Born in Bad Reichenhall, Germany
1975 - Studies at the Industrie Design Fachhochschule (Industrial Design professional school), Munich, Germany
1978 - Starts at Audi design studio
1979 - Final diploma Industrie Designer FH
1979 - Audi Scholarship for the Royal College of Art, London
1979-1980 - Transportation Design student at the Royal College of Art, London
1980 - Audi Design, Exterieur, Interieur und Konzept
1991-1992 - Audi Design Studio, California, US
1992-1993 - Audi Design, Concept Studio
1993 - Volkswagen AG, Exterior Design
1995 - Founder and Jury member of Internationaler Audi Design Forderpreis
1996-1998 - Audi A4 Avant, Audi A3 winning projects
1999 - Audi Design Team of the Year
1999-2002 Volkswagen AG Design
2003 Winner of the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany
September 2006 - Joins Kia as design director
