Kia Operates 130 Vehicles Including EV9 at Australian Open

Kia announced on the 11th that it will deliver official vehicles and conduct a global brand campaign to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of its official sponsorship of the Australian Open tennis tournament.

On the same day, company officials and representatives from Tennis Australia attended a delivery ceremony at Melbourne Park in Victoria, Australia. A total of 130 vehicles, including 15 EV9 electric cars, 10 EV6s, 95 Sorentos, and 10 Carnivals, will be used to transport players, VIPs, and tournament officials during the event.

Kia Operates 130 Vehicles Including EV9 at Australian Open

Ball kids attending the Australian Open are taking commemorative photos with the Kia EV9, which was provided as an official tournament operation vehicle.
[Photo by Hyundai Motor Group]

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the sponsorship contract with Rafael Nadal, a global tennis star and Kia’s global brand ambassador, a statue of Nadal was erected on the terrace of Margaret Court Arena within Melbourne Park. The brand campaign “Dear Tennis,” which conveys his passion and inspiration for tennis, will also be unveiled.

The campaign consists of three videos in the form of letter exchanges: the main video, a partnership tribute video, and a specially produced edition. Each video will be released sequentially from the 11th on YouTube and the official social media accounts of the Australian Open.

An EV9 design booth will be set up within Melbourne Park to promote the local launch campaign. The booth will showcase the EV5 concept model for the first time locally and display the soon-to-be-released new Sorento Hybrid. Additionally, a test drive program will be operated for Uber’s premium membership customers.

The EV5 concept model is displayed at the Kia vehicle handover ceremony for the Australian Open.
[Photo by Hyundai Motor Group]

Coinciding with the tournament, 170 people including customers, influencers, and ball kids from 34 locations worldwide were invited. Influencers were able to create content by driving the EV9 around the local city after participating in local tours.

Ryu Chang-seung, Head of Kia Customer Experience Division, said, “Through the Australian Open, we want to let the world know that we are a brand leading global electrification.”