Automotive Design and Production

APR 2014

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K900 AND EQUUS: Separated at the Platform It is no secret that the Kia K900 and the Hyundai Equus are related more than in the context of the parent company. The Equus is the platform upon which the K900 is produced. But Orth Hedrick, Kia Motors America vp of Product Planning, points out that this isn't a case of badge engineering by any extent. The most immediate thing is that all of the sheet metal of the K900 is diferent. There is no resemblance between the two (besides in the macro sense). The K900 is, comparatively, more sporty and the Equus more sedate. While both cars have the same 119.9-in. wheelbase, the K900 is shorter: 200.6 in. long, compared with 203.1 in. for the Equus. The K900 is a bit wider—74.8 in. vs. 74.4 in.—but both have the same height, 58.7 in. The K900 has a mechanical, multilink suspension setup. The Equus uses an electronically controlled air suspension. In addition to which, the K900 is built in a plant in Gwangmyeong, South Korea, while the Equus is produced in Ulsan. p The Kia K900 p The Hyundai Equus PETER SCHREYER on Improvisation & Risk If there was ever any question about the international nature of the auto industry, the career of Peter Schreyer ought to answer it. Schreyer, a German, went to school at the Industrial Design School of Applied Arts in Munich. He studied at the Royal College of Art in London in 1979 on an Audi scholarship. He was to work for Audi from 1980 to 2002, during which time he did a stint at the Audi design studio in California. He became chief designer at Audi, then moved over to Volkswagen until 2006, when he was hired by Kia. In December 2012, he p Peter Schreyer has led the transformation of Kia from a company that had cars that were generally only exceptional from the standpoint of a low price on the window sticker to one that has class-leading designs almost across the board. became the frst non-Korean president of Kia, and he has subsequently become a president and chief design ofcer of Hyundai Motor Group, meaning he has involvement with both Kia and Hyundai. While Schreyer certainly has more time on the ground in Europe and Asia, he would be widely recognized in the U.S. as the person in the 2014 Kia Soul television commercial designing the vehicle that the hamsters-getting-buf eventually drive. (That isn't Schreyer, but a design double.) In addition to being a car designer, Schreyer is an artist, a painter. About AD&P; > April 2014 > FEATURE > The K900: Kia Goes Big & Up > Gary S. Vasilash > gsv@autofeldguide.com 24 0414ADP FEATURE Kia.indd 24 3/18/2014 12:16:47 PM

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