Indiantelevision.com Team

(25 April 2007 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Kia Motors in conjunction with Hyundai Motor, has become an official global sponsor of the upcoming Uefa European Football Championship, or ‘Uefa Euro 2008’.

The Uefa Eurotop partnership includes sponsorship rights of the Euro 2008 tournament. The partnership broadens Kia’s long-term partnership with football, which started with the 2002 Fifa World Cup Korea/Japan and now includes official partnerships with FIFA until 2014 and the Chinese national men’s and women’s football teams.

At a ceremony at Kia Motors’ first European production facility in Sloevnia yesterday Uefa's Philippe Margraff commented, “Uefa Euro 2008 promises to be a spectacular sporting event enjoyed by millions all over the world. Kia Motors is not only strengthening its relationship with Europe by officially opening the Slovakia production facility but it is also building an exciting relationship with one of the world’s premier sporting events.”

The Uefa Euro 2008 sponsorship will entitle Kia to promote its brand on perimeter boards around the stadiums and through official UEFA TV broadcast partners during the event, and use the event’s official logo in company media materials. In addition, Kia will also provide official vehicles that will be used during the event.

In addition to Uefa Euro 2008, the Eurotop partnership means that the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group has obtained the right to participate as an official sponsor in all of Uefa's national-team competitions including the European U-21 Championships in 2007 and 2009, the European Futsal Championships in 2007 and 2009, and the Women’s European Football Championship in 2009.

This move, along with the grand opening ceremony of Kia’s manufacturing plant in Slovakia, is expected to boost Kia’s brand image and awareness across the European market. Kia’s Slovakia plant is producing the cee’d family of compact vehicles designed by and for Europeans, and will also begin producing Kia’s Sportage compact SUV later this year.