Karim Habib has left Infiniti for Kia, where he has been appointed as Senior Vice President and Head of the Kia Design Center. He will be based in Namyang, Korea, from next month.
With more than two decades of experience in leading major projects at several premium car brands, Habib, who will be reporting to Luc Donckerwolke, Executive Vice President and Chief Design Officer of Hyundai Motor Group, will help determine Kia’s future design strategy and direction.
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“Kia is a growing, ambitious brand on a determined path toward electrification and mobility innovation”, he said. “I am thrilled to be a part of this transformation to strengthen the Kia brand further into the future of the automotive industry, which promises to be full of challenges and opportunities. I look forward to working with CDO Donckerwolke whose work I have admired for many years, as well as the Kia design team that has created some truly remarkable designs.”
Prior to coming to Kia, Habib was Infiniti’s Executive Design Director between 2017 and 2019. In 2011, he was Head of Exterior Design at BMW, and one year later, he was promoted to Head of Design. Habib also worked at Daimler, from 2009 to 2011, as Senior Manager Advanced Design, but began his career at BMW in 1998.
Born in Lebanon, the 49-year old studied Mechanical Engineering at McGill University in Canada and Transportation Design at the Art Center College of Design in California. During his extensive career, he was responsible for the X3, X6, previous-gen 7-Series, 6-Series Gran Coupe, X2 Concept, Concept CS, CSL Homage, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the latest Smart models and many more.
