Pioneer: Resurrection of Kuro brand is 'theoretically possible'

No immediate plans for Kuro brand
No immediate plans for Kuro brand

Pioneer showcased its latest AV products for 2009 at London's esteemed Air Studios this week – temporary home to the likes of David Arnold and Shirley Bassey no less – and hinted to TechRadar that there might still be life left in the Kuro brand.

While the new range of audio and Blu-ray products were impressive, with very much a lean to the high-end of the market, there was a hole in the line-up, which came in the shape of Pioneer's now defunct Kuro Plasma brand.

Pioneer gave up on the award-winning Kuro range back in February to focus its efforts on the audio market, but its popularity has meant that many have been hoping that the company can bring it back in some shape or form.

Focus on core areas

TechRadar asked Mike O'Mahony, General Manager of Sales at Pioneer UK, if he thought there was still life in the brand, even though the company has pulled out of the flat-panel market.

"To my knowledge, there are no immediate plans to resurrect the brand," explained O'Mahony. "It's theoretically possible, but the plan for the moment is to focus on the core areas – audio is absolutely key."

O'Mahony also noted: "Maybe the Kuro brand is too ingrained in the flat-panel market – we're just not sure."

Surely, such a fan-favourite can't be buried forever? We'll keep you posted.

Marc Chacksfield

Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.