Kia Canada donates Sorento SUV as teaching aid

Kia Canada Inc. is driving change at Centennial College – Canada’s largest transportation technology training centre – by donating a 2007 Kia Sorento sport utility vehicle to the college’s School of Transportation automotive labs.

The corporate donation was formally recognized in a brief ceremony at Ashtonbee Campus on Feb. 10. The 4x4 vehicle will be used as a hands-on teaching aid for students learning about a vehicle’s component systems and sub-systems. Students in the Automotive Service Technician programs receive intensive training in realistic lab settings at the college’s Ashtonbee Campus before heading off to workplace assignments in dealerships and other repair facilities.

"Kia Canada is extremely proud of our innovative technology, engineering and product quality, and very pleased to provide a Kia Sorento for the technicians of tomorrow to learn on today," said John Junker-Andersen, Senior Director of Parts and After Sales. "It is essential to deliver a top-quality service experience to all customers and support Kia Canada’s core component that technicians must be trained to diagnose and repair all system components on the latest technology."

"It’s a significant donation to Centennial’s School of Transportation in that the Sorento is a four-wheel-drive vehicle and brings us our first example of Korean automotive technology," says Gerry Bender, Chair of the college’s automotive and motorcycle programs. "The added complexity of four driven wheels is something our technicians need to become familiar with, since so many new vehicles now come with all-wheel drive."

Kia Canada Inc. was founded in 1999 and sells and services high-quality, class-leading vehicles like the Soul, Forte and Sorento through a network of 171 dealers nationwide. Kia Canada has been donating vehicles to technical schools all over Canada as part of its "Driving Change" campaign, as it continues to showcase the company's global commitment to surpassing customer expectations through continuous automotive innovation.