Despite a win at Cannes, Korean automaker denies involvement with sexy ads

Kia has officially distanced itself from a pair of sultry, suggestive ads that recently ran in Brazil.

The ads, which actually won a 2011 Cannes Lions award at the famous French festival, are split down the middle, depicting at left, a cute animated scene between a man and girl and then a much more, err, adult version of the same scene to the right.

They were apparently created by the Sao Paulo-based advertising agency, Momo, to promote the Kia Sportage's dual-zone climate control. The caption reads: "A different temperature on each side."

In a statement Kia said: "The ad is undoubtedly inappropriate, and on behalf of Kia Motors we apologize to those who have been offended by it. We can guarantee this advertisement has never and will never be used in any form in the United States, and our global headquarters in Seoul, South Korea is addressing the issue with the independent Brazilian distributor."

[Aol Autos; photo: AutoBlog]