When you're the "new kid on the block," the world has endless possibilities. Kia, a relatively new brand in the North American market, is enjoying that role as it charts its future design and styling direction.

The company opened the Kia Design Center America last week in Irvine, Calif., where it will create future Kia products to reflect "high-style and futuristic designs," a spokeswoman said.

The facility — next door to corporate headquarters — features a design studio, another studio for working on up to eight models simultaneously, a wood/metal shop and 3-D presentation room.

Its chief designer is Tom Kearns, who oversaw 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 Kia Koup concept that bowed at the 2008 New York International Auto Show. His latest effort, the Kia Soul, will reach showrooms next year. Earlier, Kearns worked at General Motors, overseeing the Cadillac CTS design and then serving as GM's chief designer of brand character.

Q: What are the advantages and disadvantages of designing for a relatively new car company?

A: One is that you have, as you say, a clean sheet of paper.... 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....

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. *It wants Kia* 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: Hyundai and Kia are part of the same concern, and one option would have been to share facilities. Why keep those two companies separate in terms of design?

A: There's two reasons. The *prior* facility that we were in ... 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....

The second point is that ... 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.

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

A: ... A lot of our products ... in the pipeline are getting closer to our vision as to what Kia's identity should be.... Going forward, you will see that our designs will be a bit more emotional and a bit more "use-oriented."

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 ... the team that is in place now has been together for a couple of years already. So ... 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.... 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?

A: The only thing I can really point to is the Soul.... It's not so much the specific design cues but the overall character and design feel.... 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....

Q: One of the more interesting concepts shown at the New York International Auto Show was a Kia Koup concept car. ... 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. ... 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: Which cars are your favorite designs?

A: ... 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 *its* latest models.

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