South Korean carmaker Kia Corporation, which first started its sponsorship of the Australian Open in 2002, has renewed its partnership with the tennis tournament until 2028.
The company hosted an official vehicle handover ceremony at Federation Square in Melbourne ahead of the year’s first major. The event was joined by Kia officials, Tennis Australia executives, and the number one seed, Rafael Nadal.
Kia presented the tournament officials with a fleet of 130 vehicles featuring the Carnival MPV, Sorento and Sportage SUVs, and the all-electric EV6 crossover. This fleet will cater to the transportation needs of players, officials, and VIPs during the course of the hard-court major.
Artur Martins, Head of Kia’s Global Brand and Customer Experience, said “The Australian Open 2023 marks a special moment in Kia’s long standing relationship with the tournament, as we delightedly announce the renewal of our partnership for another five years until 2028,”
“The event provides the perfect global showcase for Kia’s corporate vision of becoming a sustainable mobility solutions provider” he added.
It is interesting to note that the Seoul-headquartered manufacturer has been sponsoring the 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal since his rookie days. Nadal has been the global brand ambassador for Kia since 2006, one year after the ‘King of Clay’ sealed his maiden French Open title.
Kia will also showcase its new, high-performance, fully electric EV6 GT at the newly created Grand Slam Oval booth. Furthermore, the Kia Arena, which was opened last year and has a seating capacity of over 5,000, will give fans an unique opportunity of generating electricity with their footsteps via a special floor mat, which will later be used to juice the EV6 models in the AO23 fleet.