The initial terms are expected to boost Kia’s competitiveness in vehicle IT systems and reach out to a wider customer base in Europe.
“Through collaboration with Vodafone, Kia Motors looks forward to providing advanced automotive IT services to its European customers as part of its ongoing commitment to become increasingly competitive in this market,” said Lee Hyun-Soon, Vice Chairman and head of Hyundai-Kia R&D.
Kia will focus on creating new business opportunities based on automotive IT systems and Vodafone’s existing communications network in Europe. As well as collaborating on the development of new services, Kia will develop new automotive IT solutions by using the telematics infrastructure to build a new customer-oriented business model.
“Vodafone’s high-performance mobile networks and simple solutions for managing wireless connectivity on a global basis, means we are ideally placed to help the Hyundai Motor Group develop a whole range of new services,” said Nick Jeffery, Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone Global Enterprise. “This collaboration is set to deliver an even better driving experience for drivers across Europe.”
A recent announcement made by Kia revealed the company has plans of becoming one of the top 10 mainstream brands in Europe by 2013, which means it would have to surpass popular brands such as Skoda and Renault's Dacia.
The company hopes the new Rio, which will be officially introduced at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March, will drive its sales forward in the next two years.
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