Kia Reveals Flagship Plans

Kia has big plans for a new car; actually, a new large flagship sedan is apparently in the works. The South Korean automaker revealed the first sketches of the KH, the code name of what will become Kia’s first rear-wheel-drive sedan. Corporate cousin, Hyundai, has been in the near-luxury rear-wheel-drive market for a few years now with its Genesis and Equus sedans, so it makes sense for Kia to follow.

Details are slim, but from the sketch we can see that it's got an aggressive, wide-mouth grille, sweeping angular headlights and a sloping rear roofline. Could this be Kia's stab at a four-door coupe, a la the Mercedes-Benz CLS?

We'll have to wait awhile to find out. The automaker plans to launch the sedan in South Korea in the first half of 2012. No word yet on when it’ll hit other markets, but Kia did have this to say in a press release: "Although launch timings for overseas markets are yet to be confirmed, this all-new rear-wheel-drive large sedan will definitely become the leading model of our lineup around the world, showcasing the best of the best of Kia."

Comments

hmm, i just read on another auto site that hyundai was considering spinning genesis off as a luxury brand. it would still sell from the hyundai dealership network, as opposed to the business model used by the japanese brands with seperate dealership networks. it would make no sense to do that if kia gets versions of the genesis line up (as they have of every other hyundai).

I'm still hoping for the Kia GT, not this Kiafied Genesis. That was a shorter, sportier car with what seemed like a great engine, and it appeared close to production.