The Kia K9 arrives for Korea
The Kia KH was teased a couple of weeks ago as Kia’s new flagship car for its home market, and this morning, to no ones surprise, the KH has been revealed as the new Kia K9, a moniker that won’t be used in overseas markets for obvious reasons (woof, woof).
In the flesh – well, photos – the Kia K9 looks a lot more generic than the KH rendering Kia revealed a couple of weeks ago. In fact, we’d go as far as to say that the K9 bears a strong resemblance to another range-topping saloon from Bavaria. But no matter, it’s imposing in a slightly glitzy way, but a way away from the sort of flair we’ve seen recently in cars like the Kia GT.
Kia’s Director of Overseas Marketing, Soon-Nam Lee, said of the new K9:
K9 is our first rear-wheel drive large 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 world.
And he may be right. The fact the styling is generic and derivative rather than individual may be a plus in the traditionally conservative big saloon market. Kia are not saying what powers the K9 yet, and nor what the platform is, but it seems reasonable to assume it’s a Hyundai Genesis under the skin, which is a good start and would offer a range of V8 units and a decent platform.
It seems unlikely the K9 – or whatever Kia decide to call it in overseas markets – will land in the UK any time soon.
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