New Kia K900 Could Debut In New York

The Kia K900 largely flies under the radar but it appears a redesigned model could debut at the New York Auto Show.

In an interview with Wards Auto, Kia Motors America’s vice president of product planning hinted the next-generation luxury sedan will bow in the city that never sleeps.

Orth Hedrick didn’t reveal anything about the car but spy photos have shown it will adopt slightly sportier styling. The cabin will also be upgraded with higher quality materials, modern technology, and an improved design.

These changes should make the car more appealing to consumers and Kia desperately needs this to happen. Carsalesbase data shows the company only sold 455 units in the United States last year which is pretty pathetic considering Kia had LeBron James promote the car. To put those figures into perspective, Genesis sold 16,214 G80s in the same period and even in the car’s slowest month it outsold the K900’s annual sales figure by over 2:1.

Since a number of consumers have probably forgotten the car exists, we’ll remind you the K900 starts at $49,900 and features a 3.8-liter V6 engine that produces 311 hp (231 kW) and 293 lb-ft (396 Nm) of torque. It is connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission which sends power to the rear wheels.

Kia also offers a range-topping V8 Luxury model which starts at $61,900. It has a 5.0-liter V8 engine with 420 hp (313 kW) and 376 lb-ft (509 Nm) of torque.

Behinds hinting at an all-new K900, Hedrick suggested the company will soon make announcements about the new Kia Forte hatchback and a production version of the Telluride concept.