Kia K9 Korea News 2012

While Kia says the large sedan rides on "its own platform," we know enough about the auto industry to posit that much of that platform is shared with the underpinnings of corporate cousin Hyundai's Genesis Sedan and Equus. Like the Hyundai pair, Kia is clearly hoping the not-called-K9-here will help the brand move upmarket, positioning the car as a premium product designed, in the words of Kia's head of design Peter Schreyer, "to compete head-to-head with the European luxury brands."

The Kia sedan will split the difference between the Genesis and the Equus, matching the 120-inch wheelbase of the latter, but with an overall length of 200 inches that's three inches shorter than Equus and almost four inches longer than the Genesis. The Kia sedan will have the same 0.27 coefficient of drag as both the Hyundai models.

Kia says its luxury sedan will be powered by two distinct versions of the corporate 3.8-liter Lambda V6, one making 286 horsepower and the direct-injection version rated at 329. The more powerful engine is said to be "joining the global engine line-up next year," which we'd expect would coincide with the flagship sedan's U.S. launch. Both engines will be mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Kia says the car will be available with a number of safety features including a lane-departure warning system and blind sport detection. A reclining rear seat with leg rest will also be available, just like in the Equus.

Today's announcement raises an interesting possibility. While we wouldn't expect Kia to send its flagship stateside with the less-powerful V6 – indeed, a V8 engine option is surely bound to accompany an official statement of the car's U.S. sales plan – doing so would certainly allow Kia to bring the car to market at a more attractive entry-level price. Kia has a scant resume when it comes launching anything other than budget models here in the U.S., and the brand certainly has considerable work to do if it aims to catch up to Hyundai in pricier segments.




Source: Kia

Kia to Debut North American 9'Series Flagship Sedan at the New York Auto Show

New York Auto Show  - In a move that was to be expected after Kia revealed the new K9 in its home market of South Korea about a month ago, the automaker announced today that the North American version of its flagship sedan will welcome the public at next week's New York Auto Show.

We were right to suspect that Kia would change the name of the car for the United States and Canada, as 'K9' is more often than not associated with the word 'canine' in this part of the world.

Instead, we will come to know it as the new 9'Series after the company adopted the use of numeric names with an apostrophe between the number and the word 'Series' in a similar fashion to the European Cee'd.

And that's not the only change to the original K9. Under the guidance of chief designer Peter Schreyer, the company's U.S studio in California redesigned the car's front grille to address critics who felt that the K9's appearance was too close to similar offerings from BMW.

"The 9 Series is the latest continuation of Kia’s evolving design DNA, carrying a fresh family-look radiator grille that stands out from the competition, bold LED headlamps featuring an accent trim across their tops, with classic design echoes in its voluminous hood," said Thomas Von Hofsten, director of exterior design.

"Its overall proportions follow an instantly recognizable Kia template, with an elongated bonnet, long wheelbase and set-back passenger cell," the German designer added.

Kia said that the new Kia 9 will launch in the States in exactly a year's time with three available engines, all of which are sourced from the Hyundai Genesis sedan.

These include a 3.8-liter V6 for the 935i, a 4.6-liter V8 for the 945i and a 5.0-liter V8 for the sportier 950i, which will be the sportiest model in the range.

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Non-U.S. Automakers Displeased After President Obama Snubs Them at Washington Auto Show

Non-U.S. Automakers Displeased After President Obama Snubs Them at Washington Auto Show - On Tuesday, January 31, U.S. President Barack Obama’s schedule included a visit to the 2012 Washington Auto Show. The White House informed automakers on a two days’ notice to bring their most fuel-efficient models to the show. Naturally, they obliged. For example, Honda flew in the FCX Clarity from California, Kia brought the Optima hybrid and Mercedes-Benz a fuel-cell car. Carmakers also brought along their top brass to discuss green technologies with the President.
As Bloomberg reports, the problem is that Obama, who had half an hour in his disposal, ignored foreign manufacturers.
Instead, he spent most of his time with domestic brands, posing for the press with the Dodge Dart, the Chevrolet Malibu, the Ford C-MAX Energi, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 and the Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 (not pretty fuel efficient those two, by the way…).
“When you look at all these cars, it is testimony to the outstanding work that’s been done by workers, American workers, American designers”, said Obama. “The U.S. auto industry is back. The fact that GM is back, number one, I think shows the kind of turnaround that’s possible when it comes to American manufacturing.”
The Association of Global Automakers’ CEO Michael Stanton said that representatives of non-U.S. manufacturers were displeased with the President’s action.
“Many of our members bent over backwards to meet the request from the White House”, said Stanton. “We were just terribly disappointed that the President refused to recognize the commitment that our members and others have made to the manufacturing base of the United States.”
Stanton added that members of the Washington-based Association, which includes Toyota, Honda and Kia, have made investments in excess of US$43 billion to the country and employ more than 80,000 workers.
Ironically, one day later, Honda announced its plans to invest US$100 million to its Ohio transmission plant, which is part of a total investment of half a billion in upgrading the factory in the last 18 months.
John O’Donnel, executive VP of the show organizers, said, “I don’t believe it was an intentional snub. I think he was checking up on the investment he made in the domestics”, referring to the 2009 GM-Chrysler bailout.
White House spokeswoman Sandra Abrevaya declined to comment.
Published by: carscoop