Africa Automotive September-October 2023 digital issue

September-October issue l 2023
Events
Kia secures top honors in 2023 Golden
Steering Wheel Awards
The Golden Steering Wheel Awards recognize the best vehicles on the market. Image: KIA
The new Kia flagship EV9 has continued its
awards success with a Golden Steering Wheel
2023 win in the ‘Family Cars’ category. The
all–electric seven–seater SUV was also named
‘German Luxury Car of the Year 2024’ at the beginning of
September.
“It is immensely gratifying to receive the Golden
Steering Wheel Award. It is a testament to the hard work
and dedication of the entire Kia team,” said Karim Habib,
Executive Vice President, and Head of Kia Global Design.
“This latest recognition bears further testament to Kia’s
determination to continue to lead the charge towards
electrification, pioneering technology and innovation
that redefines the automotive industry.”
Launched in 1976, and presented by AUTO BILD and
BILD am SONNTAG, the Golden Steering Wheel Awards
combine a public vote with expert review and are
recognized as the most important prize in the German
automotive industry. A total of 57 new cars were
nominated by the two editorial teams this year, before
readers selected the 21 finalists.
A prominent 19–member jury put the finalists through
extensive testing at the DEKRA Lausitzring race circuit.
This year, for the first time, the jury revealed the result
of two tests in advance in their final assessments:
DEKRA analyzed the finalists’ driver assistance systems,
while the editorial team at Computer Bild evaluated the
finalists’ competence in connectivity.
“The Kia EV9 convinced the jury as a versatile and
spacious family car with ultra–modern 800V technology,
innovative features as well as excellent driver assistance
systems,” commented Robin Hornig, head of AUTO BILD
and editor–in–chief for the BILD Group’s automotive
division. All results of the Golden Steering Wheel Awards
will be published in issue 45 of AUTO BILD this year.
A successive win for Kia at the 2023 Golden Steering
Wheel Awards continues a story of success for the brand
in this competition. In its current model range, Kia now
has four award winners: the compact crossover XCeed
took first place in 2019, the SUV Sorento won in 2020,
the electric crossover Niro EV claimed the ‘Compact SUVs’
category in 2022, and now the EV9 is the second Kia EV
in a row to win a Golden Steering Wheel.
Kia has long been a pioneer in electrification. With
its 2021 realignment, the brand has accelerated the
transition to EVs to solidify its position as one of the
world’s leading e–mobility providers. In Germany alone,
41.3% of new Kia cars in 2022 featured a plug (sales
share EV and PHEV). Across the German market overall,
this share accounted for 31.4% (according to KBA).
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