Kia global brand ambassador Rafael Nadal, the winner of 19 Grand Slam titles and a Kia Ambassador for 15 years, handed the fleet keys to Australian Open representatives at a ceremony in Melbourne’s Federation Square this morning.
The fleet comprises a mix of Sorento SUVs and Carnival MPV vehicles with 10 of the stylish Stinger performance sedans earmarked for corporate transfer duties.
Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley welcomed Kia’s continued involvement in the calendar year’s first Grand Slam.
“We are very proud of our longstanding partnership with Kia, which is one of the most enduring in Australian sport,” Mr Tiley said.
“As soon as you see the Kia fleet of 130 cars on the streets of Melbourne you know its Australian Open time, so we are excited to once again accept the fleet of Kia vehicles.”
Kia Motors Australia Chief Operating Officer Damien Meredith said Kia’s involvement in the Australian Open was a source of great pride to the company.
“The Australian Open is one of the world’s great sporting events and is shared by millions of fans around the world,” Mr Meredith said. “The enjoyment it brings to tennis and sports fans can not be overestimated.
“This will be the 19th year of Kia’s association with the Australian Open and it is one that continues to grow with a future we are genuinely excited about.”
The fleet, driven by more than 200 volunteers, is expected to complete more than 20,000 trips and cover more than 300,000 kilometres during its operation through to the end of the tournament after the Men’s final on February 2.
For the first time this year the Australian Open Ballkids will sport the Kia logo on their innovative sustainable uniforms which are made from a 100 per cent polyester filament yarn sourced from recycled PET bottles.
Also for the first time in 2020 Kia has teamed with Uber for the Kia X Uber Fan Fleet which consists of 30 new Kia Seltos small SUVs. During the tournament Uber app users in the Melbourne CBD can elect to be picked up by a Seltos for a free trip to Melbourne Park.
Visitors to Melbourne Park will have the opportunity to share in a range of Kia activations including an augmented reality experience where they can be photographed in a Kia Stinger alongside Nadal, experience Kia’s latest SUV at the Seltos Studio and help with the growth of junior tennis through the Kia Ball Drive.
- Raphael Nadal and Kia Motors hand over official courtesy fleet t
- Kia supplies 130 vehicles for official use during the tournament
- 2019 marks 19th year of Kia’s partnership with the Australian Open