Kia turns over vehicles for 2022 Australian Open use

Kia has been one of the Australian Open’s long-standing partners, and for the 2022 season, the South Korean carmaker continues its support for the prestigious tennis Grand Slam event of the Asia-Pacific region by providing vehicles to transport players, match officials, and VIPs in comfort and safety around Melbourne Park during the event — hopefully including tournament top seed Novak Djokovic.

An official handover ceremony was held which saw Kia presenting 130 vehicles to tournament officials. The vehicles comprised the popular Sportage SUV, Carnival MPV, and the EV6 fully electric crossover.

“As the major partner of the Australian Open for over two decades, we look forward to deepening our engagement with millions of fans around the world, while cementing the status of the Australian Open as one of the world’s most exciting sporting events. In line with our commitment to spurring innovation that is inspired by nature, we are pleased to work with Tennis Australia and fans to help preserve oceanic environments around the globe through our ‘Aces for Oceans’ campaign. With each ace served during the AO and fans’ online participation, Kia will assist those aspiring to reach their tennis dreams by donating tennis equipment made with recycled waste materials to the Australian Tennis Foundation,” said Kia Global Brand and Customer Experience Head Artur Martins.

The turnover ceremony was held at the newly inaugurated Kia Arena in Melbourne Park and was attended by Kia and Tennis Australia executives, former Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal and wheelchair tennis champion Dylan Alcott.

The Kia Arena — designed to host tournament matches and a venue for diverse cultural, sports, and entertainment programs outside of the tournament schedule — is equipped with 5,000 seats.

"The partnership between Kia and the Australian Open is one of the longest in Australian sport and we value and respect this unique relationship that has helped us grow the AO into the premium global sports and entertainment event that it is today. The Kia fleet, which includes the new all-electric vehicles for 2022, has become an iconic symbol of the AO, with the smartly branded AO Kia cars zipping around the city and keeping the AO on the move. It’s also a testament to our strong relationship that we are standing here beside Kia Arena, a year-round symbol of the friendship between Kia and the AO at Melbourne Park,” commented Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley.

In addition, Kia will also operate an EV6 exhibition booth and diverse marketing activities featuring engaging digital content in conjunction with the Australian Open. As the exclusive major partner of the Australian Open since 2002, Kia will continue to offer innovative brand-related experiences to customers around the world, leveraging the various synergies created from the Australian Open.

Photos from Kia

Also read: 

Kia ends 2021 with 6.5% sales growth

WATCH: Kia India announces Carens return, to make world debut on Dec. 16

All-new Kia Niro makes debut at 2021 Seoul Mobility Show