Kia America’s COO and EVP Steven Center has retired from the company, the automaker announced in an Aug. 22 press release.
Center has more than four decades of experience in domestic and import manufacturing and dealerships. He joined the automaker in January 2022, according to his company bio.
Center said in a statement that it was an “honor to be part of Kia’s incredible growth and transformation.” His retirement was effective Aug. 31.
As COO, Center oversaw automobile sales at nearly 800 Kia dealerships across the U.S., as well as service, aftersales and parts sales, marketing, customer sales and ownership experiences.
Carter plans to remain active in the industry through advising, coaching and academic roles, per the release. Throughout his career, he has lectured at colleges and universities about topics including customer experience, environmental policy and database and marketing communications.
A spokesperson for Kia America in an email to Automotive Dive said it had no succession plan to announce at this time.
