Kia’s GT RIDE smartphone app – available on both Apple and Android devices – has been awarded a prestigious Red Dot ‘Best of the Best’ design award in the Communication Design category.

The car racing app, which is available as a free download on both Apple and Android devices, lets users design their own unique race track by moving their smartphone through the air and using its motion sensors to plot a route. Players can then race on their own GT RIDE circuits, steering a Kia pro_cee’d GT around the course and setting a time, before sharing the track with friends over Facebook and challenging them to set their own times.

Developed by LA RED and Artificial Rome in conjunction with Kia Motors Europe, the app uses high quality graphics to show off a smooth asphalt freeway and handsome pro_cee’d GT, against the backdrop of a moody sky. In 2013, the Kia pro_cee’d was also awarded a Red Dot ‘Best of the Best’ distinction for Product Design, and the app’s high-resolution graphics show off the GT model’s athletic profile, sharp design and fine details in all their glory.

Artur Martins, Vice President Marketing at Kia Motors Europe, commented: “As Kia’s first performance cars, the cee’d GT and pro_cee’d GT needed something special to differentiate them from other models in the Kia range, and the GT RIDE app serves that purpose well. Design is a particular strength for Kia, and while a number of our products have won plaudits for their styling and functionality, this app shows the innate creativity at all levels of the business. We’re proud to have the app’s beautiful design acknowledged by Red Dot’s independent experts.”

The Red Dot Design Award

The Red Dot Design Award is one of the world’s most prestigious design competitions, having honoured high quality design since 1954. The internationally-acclaimed seal of quality features categories for ‘product design’, ‘communication design’ and ‘design concepts and prototypes’.

This year, the jury judged 7,096 products according to nine criteria, including degree of innovation, clarity of function, formal quality and sustainability. Of these products, only 101 are awarded a ‘Best of the Best’ award. The award presentation will take place on 24 October 2014 in the Konzerthaus in Berlin.

Since it joined the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in December 2013, the app has been downloaded and enjoyed by more than 160,000 players. To find out more about Kia’s GT RIDE app, and to download it, visit www.gt-ride.com. The App can also be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play Store as KIA GT RIDE.