2019 Kia K900 teasers

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Even in these exaggerated illustrations, it already looks… Blah. Boring or super conservative.
The recipe for a big, expensive,  semi-German looking sedan from an inexpensive brand has not work too well for Kia so far.
As they sold only 54 of them last year. Its best year was 2015 with 2524.
(Genesis sold 4398 units of the G90 last year.)
Their answer to the problem seems to be “more of the same”.
Except this time, I guess it is based off the G90. The design doesn’t seem much more modern. 
Maybe more “mature”. Like other recent Kia designs. (That hasn’t worked for them either…)
I am not sure why they offer this in the US in the first place. At basically the same price as the big Genesis. 
If you love the K900, get a used one. I have seen some recent models fro under $25 000. Which is quite a great price for what you are getting….

Conversation 12 comments

  1. Kia really needs to decide what kind of car company it wants to be. They go from hamster friendly Souls to regular family sedans to boring luxury sedans to full on sports sedans. There's no rhyme or reason for this lineup.

  2. peter schryer believes that doing what audi does, by only slightly making changes, instead of totally redesigning, will increase kia and hyundai sales. It won't!!. Mild changes work for Audi and BMW, because those buyers are buying a name, not a vehicle. Current kia and hyundai 'redesigns' will not improve their sales. I predict Peter will be gone in a couple of years. This new K900 won't improve sales, and the new 2019 Sorento is also lame. And so is upcoming Forte.

  3. Look KIA and Hyundai, lets be honest here… ok?

    You are economy cars. You do not have the status Toyota or Honda did when they launch Lexus and Acura. You don't have the fan-boy base that Toyota or Honda did/do. You have never made an iconic car that made the brand stand out (think MR2, Supra, Civic, Prelude, NSX, Integra).

    Your cars are not aspirational. People are not excited to have to buy them. They do buy them because 1) they don't have the money to buy something else, or 2) (while they have enough money to buy a Toyota or Honda) a car is just to get from point A -to- point B the cheapest way possible and you just don't care… so why spend extra.

    People are just not going to spend that kind of money on a KIA/Hyundai. Once you get to the high 20K, there are so meany better options. And 50K and above, will just (in no way) consider this…

    I know this is a hard pill to swallow… but you will be better off if you do.

  4. From the headlights I looks lthey are doing a mix between the Mercedes s class and Audi. Not bad but i would rather just buy the real thing.

  5. I think it looks nice, but why is Kia trying to sell a luxury vehicle?

    Hyundai/Kia really need to sort out its brands. The all things to all people approach may work in its home market of South Korea, but it doesn’t resonate with customers globally.

    In the U.S., luxury vehicle buyers want the brand recognition and experience that accompanies owning a luxury vehicle. They don’t want to own a vehicle that comes from a brand that offers less expensive mainstream vehicles. They also expect a higher end dealership experience. I know it’s “brand snobbery”, but it’s an essential part of the luxury vehicle segment. If a vehicle manufacturer wants to sell vehicles in this price point and segment, it must offer vehicles and a dealership experience that are elevated and completely separate from the mainstream.

    I’m sure that this new K900 will be a very nice, well made vehicle, but it will have limited appeal and success in the U.S. market as a Kia branded product.

  6. The Koreans have come a long way and keep building their brand. Bigger more luxurious sedans are not in fashion right now for anyone. Remember junkie VW”s Phaeton? Luxyry should not go small size and mass market should not go big. Other than, that I am always curious about the next Korean launch unlike (yawn) a German update.

  7. Interesting mix. My alternative name for this is the Genesis G85.

    Whoever said that that Hyundai/KIA are not aspirational have forgotten how Toyotas, Hondas, and Nissans were looked at decades ago. H/K had to prove themselves in a much more condensed timeframe and have done it. They are everywhere. KIA's mistake is keeping Stinger and K900 in-house, much like the Genesis Coupe, Genesis, and Equus were…however they only had one model for the longest which wasn't worth devemping an additional brand for. KIA wants to be the jack of all trades, but they are missing TRUCKS. This is what they really need and the Telluride will not be enough.

  8. I think the point was that Toyotas, Hondas and Nissans were not aspirational brands decades ago, but they took their time building up their brands through several decades with several iconic cars (that are still lusted after today) and developed mass market appeal before they tried their had at a the premium/ luxury market. And even then, they had to price their offerings well below the German competition.

    Hyundai/KIA have not done that. Yet they want to play with the big boys and charge big boy money. Some will pay, majority will not.

    Also, as mentioned, its the prestige and dealer experience you are buying at that price level. Hyundai/KIA are not even close. Lexus's dealer experience is renounced. Hyundai/KIA not so much.

    The honest truth is, they will never be able to play in the same league as the Europeans. And this applies to Lexus/ Acura too. It's perception among most European car buyers. I don't agree with it and am not defending it. But it is the truth. Almost no one who shops for a MB, BMW or Audi will ever cross shop a Hyundai/KIA.

    Hyundai/KIA need to boost their brand image from a economy car to something more before they try to move up to that price range.

  9. Neither Honda or Acura is capable of manufacturing a sedan that is as luxurious as the K9. In fact, Honda (or Acura) does not even have a large RWD platform to compete with Kia.

  10. As far as the hybrid and fuel cell vehicles, Hyundai/Kia are one of two companies in the world (the other is Toyota) that are capable of engineering and producing the vehicles on their own without licensing technologies from other companies.

  11. I like Kia, but a flat out lux Kia damn well loaded can't be more than low $40Ks plus tax, max. The K900 is $15k to $20K too expensive depending on trim. The MSRP alone on this will scare potential customers off – if it were lower they may come in and check it out. Yeah, it's pathetic, but at that money people want a badge to go with the outlay.

  12. The funny thing is I don’t think you see the whole picture. Hyundai and Kia already make so much money they don’t care about competing in these segments that much… they sell 100-200k $ industrial vehicles like hot cakes… check their operating income and revenue and compare it to Honda… to see which company is actually doing better and making more money. If they wanted to kill it in retail they could… but I think they are just taking their time as it’s not as worth it for them.

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