Kia Europe appoints Sjoerd Knipping as product and planning director

Kia Netherlands commercial director Sjoerd Knipping has taken a new role as director of product and planning for Kia Europe.

He will be based at Kia’s European headquarters in Frankfurt, with responsibility for re-shaping Kia Europe’s product strategy.

Knipping will also help to establish a digital product framework that focuses on connectivity tech and Kia UVO Connect (KUC).

Having worked for the Korean car maker since 2011, Knipping has held several marketing and sales positions within the business. His automotive career spans more than 20 years, having started with Ford Motor Company.

Knipping said: “In recent years, Kia has acquired a firm place at the very top of the best-selling automotive brands not only in the Netherlands, but also in Europe. This success is due to a modern, versatile and well-positioned model range, the unsurpassed seven-year manufacturer's warranty and a strong dealer organisation. And in addition to these factors, Kia has developed into a major player in the field of electrified mobility.”

“I am now looking forward to taking up the challenge on a pan-European level, picking up from the amazing work achieved in this area, and continuing our recent success.”

Jason Jeong, President at Kia Europe, added: “This is a very exciting period for Kia, following our strategically important company rebrand. We are embarking on a new and exciting period of EV development and that starts with a dedicated, high-tech electric model due for market release later this year.

“Sjoerd’s expertise in this area – as well as his rich experience across all facets of automotive product planning and pricing – will be invaluable to us as our European journey gathers momentum.”

Kia expects that 25% of the vehicles it sells globally with be purely electric-driven by 2029 and plans to launch seven nre EVs by 2027.