Kia's new KH flagship will roll into the Korean domestic market by mid-year.
Like its Korean sibling, Kia is moving up-market and is offering up a first series of sketches hinting at what’s to come when its new rear-drive flagship sedan rolls into showrooms in the coming months.
The look of the new 4-door, codenamed KH, is likely to be familiar, echoing the design language that Kia premiered with the popular new Optima sedan. But the new model, which the maker dubs “distinctive, modern and classic,” is aimed to move the brand – long known for cheap and cheerful econboxes – into decidedly different territory.
The move is similar to what Hyundai achieved only a few years back with the introduction of its first-generation Genesis sedan, which was notably the first Korean model to win the coveted North American Car of the Year trophy. Like other Kia products, the new KH will share its underlying architecture with Hyundai, though the brands are pushing hard to develop distinctly different styling languages.
A single character line underscores the dimensions of the new sedan.
The strong front end of the KH features the familiar Kia grille flanked by wraparound headlamps that flow towards twin portholes on the sedan’s front fenders. The long hood is meant to emphasize the rear-drive layout of the KH – and to provide room for what is all but certainly going to be a mix of V-6 and V-8 powertrains.
It remains to be seen if Kia will share the Genesis sedan’s 5.0-liter, Direct Injection V-8 which, in the R-Spec model makes 429 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque, enough to propel the big sedan from 0 to 60 in just 5.1 seconds.
While it’s always tricky to guess what will make it into production working from sketches like these, it appears the KH will us a single tapering character line to emphasize the sedan’s size and spaciousness.
Kia's new KH will echo the design theme first introduced on the smaller Optima.
“Our all-new flagship sedan integrates all of our key capabilities such as design, performance, high-tech features and infotainment into one striking model,” said Soon-Nam Lee, Kia’s Director of the Overseas Marketing Group.
Kia plans to roll out the new KH in the Korean domestic market by mid-year. It is hinting at a global introduction to follow but has yet to set a target date for launching sales in the U.S.
But it appears all but certain that this is in the maker’s plans. Kia’s grand transformation, which has put a premium on styling and value, rather than its traditional focus on price, has turned it into one of the American market’s fastest-growing brands and, like Hyundai, it sees significant opportunities moving into more luxurious niches.