Peter Schreyer

Peter Schreyer is an automobile designer, widely known for his design contributions to the Audi TT  and as the Chief Design Officer at Kia Motors (2006).

In 2006 Car Design News called the Audi TT one of "the most influential automotive design in recent time."

Life and early career
Schreyer was born in 1953 in Bad Reichenhall, Bavaria, Germany, and began studying in 1975 at the Munich University of Applied Sciences (Industrie Design Fachhochschule München). He worked with Audi first as a student in 1978, graduating in 1979 with his Industrial Design degree. Subsequently, Schreyer won the Audi Scholarship to study at the Royal College of Art, London from 1979-1980 as a transportation design student.

In 1980, Schreyer began working with Audi in the areas of exterior, interior and conceptual design, moving to the company's California design studio in 1991. He returned to the Audi Design Concept Studio in 1992 and moved to Volkswagen's exterior design department in 1993. In 2006, Kia hired Schreyer as Chief Design Officer.

Schreyer is known for wearing all black clothing, black eyeglasses designed by Philippe Starck and for his "competitive, inventive and analytic" nature.

Kia and the Tiger Nose

 * '''"I try to look at architecture and art and music, things like this. I like things that are not average, and people who follow their own vision."
 * -Peter Schreyer, discussing his design influences in 2009 

Beginning in 2005, Kia focused on the European market, identifying design as its core future growth engine &mdash; leading to the 2006 hiring of Schreyer as Chief Design Officer. Schreyer has been central to a complete restyling of Kia's lineup, overseeing design activities at Kia's design centers in Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Tokyo and the Namyang Design Center in Korea.

Schreyer indicated in a 2007 interview that Kia had a "neutral image" prior to his arrival.


 * "In the past, the Kia cars were very neutral. When you saw one on the road, you didn’t really know if it was Korean or Japanese…I think it’s very important that you are able to recognise a Kia at first sight.”

The Kee concept vehicle, shown at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, introduced a new corporate grille to create a recognizable 'face' for the brand. Known as the Tiger Nose, Shreyer indicated he wanted “a powerful visual signal, a seal, an identifier. The front of a car needs this recognition, this expression. A car needs a face and I think the new Kia face is strong and distinctive. Visibility is vital and that face should immediately allow you to identify a Kia even from a distance.” Commenting on the new signature grille in 2009, Schreyer said "Tigers are powerful, yet kind of friendly." The nose is "three-dimensional - like a face, not just a surface with a mouth drawn on it. From now on, we'll have it on all our cars".


 * See: Kia No.3 concept with Tiger Nose
 * See: 2011 Kia Cadenza with Tiger Nose
 * See: 2010 UK Sedona with Tiger Nose

Awards
In 2003, Schreyer won the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany.

In 2007, Schreyer received an honorary doctorate from the Royal College of Art in London, following Sergio Pininfarina and Giorgetto Giugiaro as only the third automotive designer to receive the honor.

In 1995 Schreyer founded and juried the "Internationaler Audi design Förderpreis."

Design work
Audi TT, 1998 Audi A6, 1998 Audi A3, 1996 Volkswagen New Beetle, 1998 Volkswagen Golf, IV, 1998

Volkswagen Concept R, 2004 Volkswagen Eos 2006 Kia Forte, 2010 Kia Sorento, 2010 Kia Venga, 2009 (& Kia No. 3 Concept)