Kia's chief designer seeks a sporty car to blow the doors off its image

Kia's design boss wants to add a sports car or convertible to lend more appeal to the brand.

No such car is officially in the pipeline, said Peter Schreyer, Kia's chief design officer. Kia first needs to get on more solid footing, he said.

"I think Kia needs a car like that sooner or later, but at the moment it's not yet the time to make any promises," Schreyer told Automotive News.

The brand improved its styling recently with the new Soul hatchback and the redesigned Sportage crossover and Optima sedan.

Schreyer, 57, took Kia's top global design post in 2006 after 26 years with Volkswagen group. He worked on both VW and Audi models and is perhaps best known for designing the original Audi TT sports coupe.

By Ryan Beene- Automotive News