Kia is getting a Genesis

[Sal Collaziano]

Filed under: Sedan, Kia, Design/Style, Luxury, South Korea


When the Volkswagen Phaeton launched here in the States, nobody liked it. Well, that's not true. Every journalist we know who drove the mighty VW went on and on about how it's probably actually the greatest car in the world (especially all decked out with a W12 engine) and how the HVAC system is a full generation ahead of the competition (you can't beat in-car radiators!) and how the seats so awesomely massaged their fat butts. That said, it was still a terrible car in terms of branding, marketing, etc. And now we have no Phaeton.

Then came the Hyundai Genesis. The big sedan version with the Tau (whatever that means) 4.6-liter V8. "Hmmm," our motor-mouthed brethren chimed. "Hyundai might just be on to something here." Lots of good ink got spilled in the Genesis's general direction and the Mercedes-Benz lookalike Korean luxury car got picked as the 2009 North American Car of the Year. It even appears to be selling. How things change.

Well guess what? Kia wants in. AboutCAR caught a glimpse of the proposed Kia K9 at a design conference in Seoul. Standing next to the proposed super sedan is Peter Schreyer, best known for designing the original Audi TT, he is now Kia's chief of design. Should the K9 show up, expect it to arrive in the U.S. with a Genesis-sourced chassis and a big fat V8. Other arts of the world will get other engines. Will it work? As Hyundai America CEO and President John Krafcik told us at the LA Auto Show when he was asked which he liked better, the new Sonata or Tucson, "I just really love my Genesis." And there you have it.

[Source: Aboutcar.co.kr]Kia K9 super sedan sneak peeked in Seoul originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.


Permalink | Email this | Comments

More...

 

[TreeHaus]

Doesn't Hyundai own 40% of KIA?

 

[scottdk]

Doesn't Hyundai own 40% of KIA?

From Wikepedia:

South Korea's oldest car company, Kia was founded in 1944 as manufacturer of steel tubing and bicycles. In 1952, Kia changed its name from Kyungsung Precision Industry,[3] and later built motorcycles, trucks and cars. Starting in 1986, in partnership with Ford, Kia produced several Mazda derived vehicles for both domestic sales in South Korea and exports into other countries. These models include the Pride (based on the Mazda 121) and Avella, which were sold in North America and Australasia as the Ford Festiva and Ford Aspire.

In 1992, Kia Motors America was incorporated in the United States. The first Kia-branded vehicles in the United States were sold from four dealerships in Portland, Oregon in February 1994. Since then, Kia expanded methodically one region at a time. Dealers in 1994 sold the Sephia, and a few years later the United States line expanded with the addition of the Sportage.

More...

For 2008, KMA recorded its 14th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share. In August 2009, Kia was the 8th-best selling automotive brand in the United States, outselling makes like Chrysler and Mazda.
In November 2009, Kia started production at the first U.S. Kia Motors plant, Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia in West Point, Georgia, U.S.A.. The facility will build the 2011 Kia Sorento crossover vehicle.


However, Kia's bankruptcy in 1997, part of the Asian financial crisis, resulted in 51% of the company being acquired in 1998 by South Korean rival Hyundai Motor Company, outbidding Ford Motor Company which had owned an interest in Kia Motors since 1986.[4] Subsequently, however, Hyundai has divested some of its ownership of Kia Motors[5], and currently Hyundai Motor Company owns less than 40% of the company.

 

[ajls09873]

canibalization?

"In marketing and strategy, cannibalization refers to a reduction in the sales volume, sales revenue, or market share of one product as a result of the introduction of a new product by the same producer."

Not a good movement.

And I don't like that grill design and front look, It looks like a bigger version of Forte or Optima.