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Exports of New Kia Flagship Sedan to Bypass U.S., Europe
The vehicle, called the K9 in Korea and Quoris for export markets, is slated to reach other Asian countries, South America, the Middle East and Africa later this year.
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Kia touts Quoris’s high-tech safety credentials.
It looks like Kia’s new flagship luxury sedan won’t be coming to the U.S. this year.
Kia has announced plans to begin exporting the vehicle, called the K9 in Korea and Quoris for other Asian countries, South America, the Middle East and Africa, in the year’s fourth quarter.
“Our export plans at present exclude the United States and Europe,” a spokesman tells WardsAuto. “It depends on what Kia Motors America wants to do.”
The spokesman says it’s likely the sedan also would be called the Quoris in the U.S.
Thomas Oh, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Kia’s International Business Div., says, “The word ‘Quoris’ conveys solidity, luxury and high technology, all resonating together as a chorus.
“Our decision to give this striking new sedan an unconventional name means it will stand out, driving sales in what is a new segment of the global automotive market for Kia.”
Released in May in Korea, the K9 has been selling slightly less than its domestic target of 2,000 units a month, the spokesman says.
The Quoris version has all of the K9’s high-tech active safety features, including radar-based advanced smart cruise control, advanced vehicle-safety management and twin-radar blind-spot detection.
“The Quoris (K9) can cruise at a desired speed, maintain a predetermined safe distance from the vehicle in front and automatically come to a complete stop if necessary,” Chang-Ki Kang, senior vice president-Hyundai-Kia Namyang R&D Center, says in a statement.
The Quoris (K9) also can detect and warn the driver of approaching potential hazards using innovative audio, visual and haptic (seatbelt vibration) alerts.
In Korea, the K9 version equipped with a 3.3L Lambda V-6 engine is priced from 53 million won to 65 million won ($46,500-$57,000). A 3.8L engine raises the price range to between 63.5 million won and 87.5 million won ($55,700-$76,800).
Kia says the vehicle will be exported to China beginning in second-half 2013, but does not reveal its Chinese name.
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