Kia's new home

A quick trip round the M25 this morning to Walton-on-Thames. This is where Kia has its new national headquarters, in a smart back-to-front building, with an impressive facade at the front, but with the main entrance and reception very logically located at the back adjacent to the car park. Inside the foyer this life-size model greets visitors. It is a fibreglass version of the little Kia Picanto, originally built to introduce the new shape at a motor show.

Kia kindly accommodated the Southern Group of Motoring Writers for our annual general meeting. I had hoped to find someone else willing to take on the group chairmanship, but that's me elected for another term, hey ho. We also had a briefing by Kia's UK president, who briefed us on the company's progress, with sales up from 20,000 cars in 2013 to 72,000 last year. They're on a roll, helped by their cars coming with an industry-beating seven year warranty.

Mid-afternoon, I drove from Walton to Cheshire, ready for a driving day with the new Mercedes GLA tomorrow. They're promising an event with a twist. I'll let you know tomorrow what it is ...