Filed under: Latest News
Ah yes, Kia, the byword of quality, luxury and... no, wait, Kia, over here at least, tends to be looked down upon by people who like to make people called 'Jones' feel rather envious. Well, that may change as the Korean brand has announced its statement of intent for the future - the K9 execu-barge.
It's incredible considering where Kia was just ten years ago - the idea that the Pacific Rim brand making anything that could conceivably take on a 5 Series is a little alien...
Being Kia's first ever rear-wheel-drive saloon is quite an honor and means it needs to stand out, so Kia's designers have been working to make it look good. As a result it features a 'best of the best' design (which looks like a 7 Series from a distance), driving performance to take on the big boys and lots of clever tech.
The K9 isn't a dog-car. No, the K refers to (breathe in) Kia, Korea, Kratos (Greek for: powerful, domination and reign) and Kinetic. Not nine Ks by any means.
Not one to shy away from the established paradigm, Kia's kept many of its established design cues prominent on the K9. Its tiger nose grille and LED style headlamps will be familiar to anyone who has ever seen a Kia. As well as the traditional Kia bits, the K9 has LED rear lamps, chrome finishing, a bumper integrated muffler and a neat little crease along its flanks. Lovely.
Mr Soon-Nam Lee, Director of the Overseas Marketing Group, commented: "K9 is our first rear-wheel drive sedan, created without compromise in its design, driving performance and new technologies. K9 sets a whole new level of standards and values in the large sedan segment, and its design will be another Kia demonstration of our brand's power to surprise."
The K9 joins the K7 (Cadenza, not available in the EU) and the K5 (Optima) in Kia's line up of saloons. It presumably shares a fair few parts with the Hyundai Genesis saloon from the US.
Sadly, though, it won't make it to the UK because what do you think 9/10 people would go for? A Kia or a BMW? Yeah.