Kia Motors has announced that Christer Gerlach, the record breaking Swedish driver and adventurer, will shortly begin a remarkable journey, where he will drive solo around the world — completing the first ever crossing of Siberia by car in the process — in a Kia Sorento.

Mr Gerlach will leave Sweden during August and drive across Europe, Russia and the largely wild, unmapped terrain of Siberia. After driving through Asia — stopping over in Korea — he will travel to the US and traverse Route 66 to New York, before coming full circle and returning to Europe.

Yong-Hwan Kim, Senior Executive Vice-President and COO of Kia Motors Corporation, who travelled to Sweden to personally hand over the keys to the new Sorento to Mr Gerlach, said, "We are extremely proud that Mr Gerlach has chosen Kia as a partner to attempt his journey and we wish him a safe and successful trip.

"We feel that by helping Mr Gerlach to undertake this expedition, we are bringing to life our brand slogan — ‘The Power to Surprise’. The trip will allow us to demonstrate to the world the quality and excellence of our cars," said Mr Kim.

Christer Gerlach, who is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the first person to circumnavigate the globe by car, said, "No one has managed to drive a car around the world via Siberia, and Kia seemed to be the perfect partner for this trip due to the quality of its vehicles and its commitment to safety and reliability."

Although other round the world expeditions by car have taken place on previous occasions, this will be the first time that such a journey has been attempted solo, using just one stock vehicle — the Kia Sorento — and without any customisation, not even the tyres.

Previous expeditions supported by other manufacturers have involved multiple vehicles and drivers, customised vehicles for difficult terrain, or extensive transport by sea. By contrast, Mr Gerlach plans no service or maintenance work on his Sorento, other than having the oil changed during his stopover in Korea.

Mr Gerlach will document his entire trip and will be reporting regularly to Swedish daily, periodical and online publications. Kia’s global network will also be closely following his progress on this dramatic tour, which will include a brief visit to Kia’s headquarters in Seoul during his stopover in Korea.