Kia Motors America announced on Friday that Len Hunt, formerly executive vice president of Volkswagen America, will join the company at its US headquarters in Irvine, California, as executive vice president and chief operating officer, effective October 10.

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US reports said Hunt had been expected to swap his VW job with a colleague from, Bentley’s Crewe, UK, headquarters but news had leaked out earlier this week that he was no longer moving to Britain.


Hunt replaces Peter Butterfield who has left Kia.  JH Lee, currently senior executive vice president of Kia Motors Corporation, is now president and CEO of the US unit.


Hunt will report directly to Lee and oversee all ‘business’ operations, including sales and marketing, fixed operations and corporate planning.


Before his stint at Volkswagen, Hunt spent five years heading sales, marketing and product planning divisions at Audi of America. Before that he managed Audi UK.

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