When you're the "new kid on the block," the world has endless possibilities.

That's the situation that Kia, a relatively new brand in the North American market, is enjoying as it charts its future design and styling direction.

The company opened the Kia Design Center America on Tuesday in Irvine, Calif., which will design future Kia products to reflect "high-style and futuristic designs," a spokeswoman said.

The facility features a design studio, a modeling studio that allows up to eight vehicle models to be worked on simultaneously, a wood/metal shop, 3-D presentation room, a courtyard, four conference rooms and other amenities. The interior design uses black-and-white tones and glass to reflect the look of the company's corporate headquarters next door.

Kia hired respected designer Tom Kearns as chief designer. He oversaw the development of the Kia Kue concept vehicle, which won the Eyes on Design Award for Design Excellence at the 2007 North American International Auto Show. He also oversaw the design and development of the Kia Koup concept that bowed at the 2008 New York International Auto Show. His latest effort, the Kia Soul, will be seen in showrooms next year.

Mr. Kearns worked at General Motors prior to arriving at Kia, where he oversaw the design of the Cadillac CTS. He later became brand character chief designer at GM.

Q: Other car companies rely on heritage, tradition and history to influence future designs. What are the advantages and disadvantages of designing for relatively new car company?

A: One is that you have, as you say, a clean sheet of paper, and we can chart our own path from day one. I can guarantee you that a lot of designers at BMW, Audi or some of the other established brands with lots of history would love to have that. They're sort of handcuffed. …

The disadvantage is that we don't have a history to build on like those companies do. We see it as making our history how. We get to establish our history, which is pretty interesting, and that gives us a lot of flexibility.

Q: Tell us about the design center and the importance that this facility has for Kia.

A: I think it really represents the commitment that our top management made to design. They want to be a world-leading brand, and our chairman realizes that design is one of the key components to getting there. He's made a commitment to investments in a lot of talent and great design facilities in the U.S. and in Europe as well.

Q: I know that Hyundai and Kia are part of the same concern, and I suppose one option would have been to share facilities. Why is it important to keep those two companies separate in terms of design?

A: There's two reasons. The facility that we were in prior to our new one was a combined Hyundai and Kia studio. I think that the workload increased so much with both brands that we were running out of space, and that's despite the fact that the other facility was a relatively new one.

Part of all this, too, is that the company is relying more and more on us for design solutions, and with that comes the need for more space to do it.

The second point is that I think top management realizes that in order to keep the Hyundai brand and Kia brand as separate and unique identities, separate facilities would be a good idea. A lot of times in design, if you see something, you can't help but be influenced by it. Keeping us separate helps us get a more unique look for each brand.

Q: How much of the current lineup expresses Kia's future direction?

A: I think that's something that we are working on right now. A lot of our products that are in the pipeline are getting closer to our vision as to what Kia's identity should be.

Right now, the current lineup, even though they are great cars, need more personality and a more unique look. I think that going forward, you will see that our designs will be a bit more emotional, and a bit more "use-oriented" in their identity.

Q: So how soon will we see the fruits of the design center's efforts?

A: We are on a four- or five-year lead time schedule; but having said that, the team that is in place now has been together for a couple of years already. So I think that you are going to start to see some of the things we have worked on.

The latest example would be the Kia Soul production vehicle that was released about two weeks ago. This is a North American product, and it's very close to the concept vehicle that we introduced at the 2006 Detroit International Auto Show.

Q: So what styling elements from Kia's current designs will carry forward in the future?

A: The only thing I can really point to is the Soul that is coming out. It's not so much the specific design cues that it has, but the overall character and design feel of the vehicle. The Soul is very useful, and it has a big fun factor to it. It's something that's distinctive or different. It's not a generic design. Hopefully, it's something that you look at and find desirable to own and drive.

Really, design is all about communicating a personality when it gets right down to it. That's what we do. And the Soul has the type of personality that we want to project going forward with our designs and our brand.

Q: One of the more interesting concepts shown at the New York International Auto Show was a Kia Koup concept car. Tell me about it. Did the staff at the new design center have anything to do with it?

A: Actually our team was responsible for the whole concept car. While the Soul is more of a funky, fresh vehicle with a utility aspect to it, the Koup is more about youthful fun and a "driving experience" kind of vehicle. The idea was to make it look as though it drives and handles well and is exciting to drive. It's designed to be a very affordable front-wheel-drive coupe that would have a four-cylinder motor that is turbocharged. It's all in keeping with Kia's philosophy of offering a lot of car for not a lot of money.

Q: What are your biggest influences as you go about doing your design work?

A: I would say first of all I consider myself a car enthusiast, so all types of cars -- old cars, new cars, classic cars, modern customized hot rods, you name it -- I like them all. And I'm a design enthusiast in general: product design, home interior design, fashion design, just about anything. I have a pair of collectible orange fluorescent crushed velvet Nike running shoes. They're on display in my office. I don't put them on! I promised my wife that I would never wear them.

Q: Which cars are your favorite designs?

A: I guess the sports cars I own reflect my style more than anything. The first one is an older Porsche 911, from the early '70s; it's a timeless classic design. …

I also think that Lexus is doing a nice job with some of their latest models.

And the Kia Borrego and Kia Soul, when they hit the road, will be my favorites too.

Don Hammonds can be reached at dhammonds@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1538.