Special Coverage
Chicago Auto Show
CHICAGO – Kia Motors America Inc. eventually would like to offer an SX performance version of every vehicle in its lineup, a top executive says during the unveiling of the Rondo SX Concept here at the Chicago auto show.
“This Rondo SX explores ideas for expanding the Rondo line for the future,” Ian Beavis, vice president-marketing, says. “We want to have an SX series in pretty much every vehicle in the lineup, or some sort of a sportier version, because that’s really part of who we are. So that’s the plan.”
Kia currently offers SX versions of the Optima and Spectra, and those variants account for about 10%-15% of each model’s mix, Beavis says.
He declines to reveal when the Rondo SX will be given the greenlight for production, but does says it will be “sooner rather than later.”
“There’s a lot of interest in it, and what we’re trying to finalize is what would be the packaging of it,” Beavis tells Ward’s. “It would absolutely fit into the lineup.”
The standard Rondo, which went on sale in the U.S. last month, already has proven popular, increasing traffic to Kia’s website threefold, he says.
