Kia K7 and K9 premium sedans heading to US as Cadenza and Quoris
The Kia K7 and K9 luxury sedans are headed to North America as the Kia Cadenza and Kia Quoris, respectively. Photo Credit: CEFICEFI/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY
Kia has been gussying up its product line to make them more attractive and to sell them, like the achingly-gorgeous Optima. Kia is also readying two luxury sedans, the Kia K7 and K9, which are heading to the United States as the Cadenza and Quoris, respectively.
Kia K7 and K9 ready for U.S. debut
Up until the past few years, Kia, sister brand to Hyundai, basically sold econo-boxes that were great if one needed a new car that got decent mileage for not much money. However, the brand felt that it needed to punch up its offerings.
To that end, Kia hired Peter Schreyer in 2006, according to Automobile magazine, the former design chief for Audi. That led to the current generation Kia Optima, which is nothing short of stunning. That it costs less than $25,000 makes it all the sweeter.
Aside from great looks, next up for Kia is two premium sedans that are already on sale internationally as the Kia K7 and Kia K9. Both cars are making their North American debut in 2013 and will be sold, according to AutoGuide, as the Cadenza and Quoris, respectively.
Two different beasts
The Kia K7 and K9 both share different underpinnings. The K9, or the Quoris as it will be called in the U.S., is based on the Hyundai Equus, the slow-selling full-size luxury barge and as it shares the platform, will be rear-wheel drive. It will also be available with a 296-horsepower, 3.3-liter V-6 or a 329-horsepower 3.8-liter V-6. The Quoris will have a host of features, like lane departure warning and assist, smart cruise control, blind-spot detection and other safety gadgets.
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The Cadenza, on the other hand, is front-wheel-drive and based on the Hyundai Azera. MotorTrend reported the engine would likely be a 3.5-liter V-6 in August of this year, but it doesn’t appear to be completely confirmed.
Filling the gaps
The intent of the Kia K7 and K9, or the Cadenza and Quoris, are to fill gaps in Kia’s product line. Essentially, Kia and Hyundai feel there are some holes between the most heavily decked-out Kia Optima and Hyundai Genesis and the near-$60,000 full-size Hyundai Equus.
The Cadenza and Quoris will slot between the two. The Cadenza, according to MotorTrend, will start around the $35,000 to $45,000 range and the Quoris will ostensibly top out closer to $50,000 or more. Exact prices aren’t available at the moment, but it would seem about right. MotorTrend reports the Cadenza will arrive first.
Those in the market might want to have a look. Kia might not have the pedigree BMW does, but one can score a premium car for much less and with more equipment than if one were to go to, say Momentum BMW in Houston and look at a Bimmer. Not that a BMW isn’t worth the premium, but some don’t mind paying a little less for a different brand if the product is just as good.
Sources
AutoGuide: http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2012/07/kia-luxury-flagship-will-be-called-quoris.html