Kia up to speed with research in US

A research centre that will help Kia to speed up development of technology for future vehicles has been opened in the heart of the American automotive industry, Detroit.

It has been jointly developed by Kia and its Korean parent company Hyundai. Staff numbers of 100 are expected to grow to 400 within two years. Kia will also open a research centre in Germany next year.

The US market is important for Kia, where sales have grown to put the company ahead of Japanese rivals such as Suzuki and Mazda.

Korea's oldest carmaker is investing around 7 per cent of its annual income on research, one of the highest percentages in the automotive sector.

The move is already paying off, with advances in vehicle design and performance in the past three years providing Kia with a raft of highly praised new models, including the Sportage, Cerato, Rio and Sorento.

It plans to introduce 13 new vehicles over the next two years.